My Wish
by FlamingB1rd
Summary: What if an ordinary human girl was reborn in the world of Fairy Tail? With her knowledge of the series, will she change the world around her for better or worse? Watch her as she grows from a small child to a teen in this new world, where each one of her choices will change the overall story, thanks to her one wish. Future pairings may be included. Cover by Toritacoisawesome.
1. Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins

**A/N: Hey everyone, this is my first ever fanfiction. I may be a bit inexperienced but that won't stop me from trying to create an enjoyable story! I am going for the long run here, so as the story grows, so will my writing skills... I hope. I cannot say with certainty how fast i will update the story but i will try to get one chapter at the very least each week.**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, that honor is bestowed to Hiro Mashima.**

 **Anyways, i hope you enjoy the first chapter.**

My Wish

A Fairy Tail Story

Chapter One

The Adventure Begins

Darkness. That's all there was. For miles and miles away everything was engulfed in pure darkness and I was in the center of it all. Who am I, you may ask. I am your average human girl. Eighteen years old, long blonde hair, green eyes. I don't remember my name though. It is as if I don't have one. I remember everything else that has happened in my life.

I was living a boring life. Everyday I would wake up, go to the bathroom, go to school, work at the local cafe and occasionally meet with friends. Until today... where I remember only seeing flashing lights and then a huge booming noise spreading through the air. Then I remember a white looking room, with all kinds of attachments placed on my body and lots of people around my form. I was in a Hospital... and then that long and heartbreaking sound...

 _BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP_

 _'Was I dead?' I though to myself._

I could feel the coldness in the air. My skin was freezing and the void around me was endless.

 _'Was this the end meant for all of us? Miles and miles of nothingness?'_

Every time someone close to our family died, people would always tell me "Don't worry, they are in a better place now."

If this was the better place then it sucks.

And then from the nothingness a single, bright spark of light. It's gentle touch was like a dream come true in this place. It's as if all my worries and fears just vanished out of existence. And from that spark, a low, formal voice spoke to me.

"Do you know where you are?" It asked, keeping it's voice monotone as if it held no emotion.

"Is this the afterlife?" I asked, not sure if all of this was real or a dream.

"Indeed you are. This is the place where everyone comes after they die so that they can be reincarnated. You died four hours, thirty-five minutes and twenty-two seconds ago in the old hospital in Adulos village, mortally wounded from a car crash."

 _'Yes, I would really want to know the exact time I died down to the last second instead of some useful information like WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!'_ I thought, frowning.

"Be patient. I was getting to that part. It's just a formality to give you all the details." It said, as if it read my mind.

"You can read my thoughts?" I exclaimed, a bit of shock on my features.

"Yes. That is one of my abilities." It said, keeping that voice devoid of all emotion. "Now, on with the plan. Do you remember the wish you made not so long ago?" It asked.

At first, I was confused but then I remembered, my one wish.

"To have an exciting life full of adventure." I answered confidently.

Then suddenly, without any warning, the light engulfed me until there was no trace of the darkness. And then, right in front of my eyes, images started slowly to form. Blurry at first, but as I focused on the forms around me, I saw that it was a woman surrounded by maidens, in an infirmary, with what looked like a doctor next to her.

Suddenly a scream broke out. Then I felt a warm sensation on my cheeks and then I realized what was going on. I was crying and screaming, but why was I doing that?

A male voice broke my thoughts as he proudly exclaimed to the woman on the bed. "It's a girl!"

At that moment I felt soft, gently arms holding my form. I looked up at the woman in which hands I was currently nested. I was so tiny…

' _Was I a baby?!'_ I thought.

And then the woman spoke with the most tendering voice I have ever heard."Anora. My sweet Anora."

 _'I AM A BABY!'_ I yelled inside my mind.

So I was reborn in this place and I was officially known as Anora. But why do I remember so vividly my past life? I can remember almost all details except for some parts that are like a fog in my mind. Not allowing me to see.

I was shocked. My old eighteen-year-old self was now a baby, reincarnated and was currently being held by my new mother. It was a bit shocking, to say the least.

Then, suddenly, the doctor spoke. "Would you look at that. She has a birthmark on her shoulder. It strongly resembles a dragon."

' _Wait that can't be true.'_ I though after hearing his find. That couldn't have been true. That birthmark was from my old life and as far as I know how DNA works, my body should be different now.

' _Was this why I could remember my old life?'_ I speculated.

While I was thinking I didn't realize that I was brought to a soft crib and a motherly figure was standing above me. She kissed me on the forehead and wished me goodnight.

I tried to say goodnight to her as well but to my surprise nothing came out of my mouth. It would seem that I am not able to speak even though I knew how to do it from my old life. I merely lay there and shut my eyes 'till I fell into dream land under the bright moonlight that was coming from the nearby window.

* * *

Four years passed since I was born in this new place. I was now called Anora of the Montesque family. It would appear that my new family was very rich and had many ties. I had an older brother called Draco. He has short dark hair, brown eyes, slim figure and is six years older than me. My new mother was a very gentle and kind hearted woman called Amelia. She was so similar to my old self from my past life that it was shocking. She had long blonde hair made into a ponytail, wide, bright, green eyes and an integrity that you can't say no to.

I myself didn't change at all. I still had my green eyes and my blonde hair if not for some changes to my face and body.

My father, on the other hand, was something different. I never in four years got to see him more than for a few nights. He was such a work-a-holic. Whenever I saw him he was wearing a costume. He had short dark hair, brown eyes, a slim figure and he always walked as if the world revolved around him.

Thanks to my old knowledge I spoke when I was only six months old. My mother was so proud of me. That same knowledge helped me while I was learning to read and write. While it felt as if I've never done it before I quickly picked it up again thanks to my memories. The words did seem a bit strange but I never took much notice of that...

Whenever I had a moment with my brother, he would lead me to the stables and show me the horses. They were beautiful. Once, while no one was around to see what we were doing, he asked me if I want to sit on a horse with him.

He showed me to a beautiful white mare. Her name was Silver. I was three years old and Draco was nine at the time. Needless to say, it was extremely dangerous. But in my mind, I've already lived for eighteen years so I agreed.

He helped me get onto Silver and then he himself climbed onto her. He spoke to her to calm her down and it was evident that he was very fond of this animal. I couldn't help myself but smile while he was calming and speaking to the creature as if they were best friends. They probably were, now that I think about it.

These moments with him were rare, so I cherished them greatly.

When Amelia wasn't home I was left with some of the maidens to keep me company. Draco was usually too busy with his studies and training to which our father put him. For me, I was made to study how to speak, walk and even sleep like a lady… Knowing how I was in my past life it is no overreaction when I say that this was torture.

At least, the maidens were very nice. They always did everything in their power to make me laugh and smile and I could feel that they didn't do it because they were obliged to but because they wished to see me happy.

Today was one of those days. I was alone with a nice elderly woman by the name Beatrice. She was not your ordinary maiden, that's for sure. She was tall, and I mean really tall. She had short black hair and blue eyes. Her figure was huge compared to the others. I always felt so tiny near her. She was currently teaching me how to walk straight, by putting a stack of books on my head and I had to walk without them falling. This was probably the hundredth attempt for the last week and every time I couldn't make the damn books stay on my head.

 _THUD_

Just like that, the books were on the floor and my annoyance could probably be felt from a mile away.

"Beatrice, can we skip this. I've been doing it for half an hour now and I can't even pass ten seconds." I whined, a frown forming on my features.

Beatrice chuckled and gave me one of her 'wise old women talks again'.

"You should keep trying my child. Don't give up so easily. Remember if you want to accomplish something, you must be determined with all your heart to do so. But… since I see that there is no determination on that bored little face of yours, I guess we can do something fun and then resume your training tomorrow."

"Yay!" I half-shouted with delight that things were going my way.

The old woman just chuckled at my antics.

"Can we go play some music?" I asked her, with small stars in my eyes.

Ever since I found out we were a rich family, I found that we had a music room with every instrument possible and I was also very fond of the stables. Needless to say that my two favorite hobbies revolved around music and horses. It was something that I always wanted to do in my old life, but I never really had the chance.

While we were walking down the corridor of the long mansion, on our way to the music room I suddenly realized that I never asked where exactly I was in the world or what year it was.

I looked up at the elderly woman and asked her.

"Miss Beatrice, what year is it today?"

"Why It's the 1st of May X770, my dear. You were born on the 14th of April X766." She answered.

I looked at her with wide eyes. X770? What year is that supposed to be?! As long as I remember I was in 2016 when I died. But why does that year have such familiarity behind it, I wonder.

' _I am more than sure that I've heard this year before, but where.'_ I though.

"Miss Beatrice, what country are we in?" I asked, but I was not prepared for the answer that came.

"We are in the Kingdom of Fiore, my child." She answered casually.

My green eyes widened and suddenly I remembered where I've seen that date. How could I forget!? The kingdom of Fiore… there is no doubt about it, I'm in Fairy Tail. One of my most favorite anime in my old life. But how can this be possible? It is only fiction.

' _Well not to long ago I would have thought that reincarnation was only a fiction as well.'_ I mentally slapped myself.

But back to the important stuff. I was actually in Fairy Tail. Does that mean I can wield magic? Every person is born with magic in them here, right? That would be so cool!

But wait… the year X770… Didn't the dragons disappear on July the 7th X777? Was I born before the events of the anime? Maybe when I join the guild everyone will be small. That would be awesome! But I can't get distracted like that. Before I can join I need to learn magic!

Now I had a goal to follow. To be honest I always wanted magic to be real in my old life. It was something fascinating to me back then and still is now. I remember feeling as if an unknown substance was flowing through me at times but I never knew what it was. Maybe we did have magic but we never knew how to use it ?

Beatrice must have seen my thoughtful face and how I spaced out.

"Child, do you feel okay?" She asked me, generally concerned.

"I'm fine." I told her, half-lying. I was not fine. I was ecstatic. I knew what I wanted to do now. I want to learn magic and join Fairy Tail!

We continued forward to our destination in silence. I was lost in my thoughts, while the kind, old woman next to me was trying to figure me out.

This was probably really strange to her. Seeing me react to that name as if I knew it my whole life. Well she wouldn't be wrong here, but I never kind of told them that I remembered my old life. I mean they would probably think that I was just imagining stuff since I was so young so I never told them and I don't think it would be wise to tell anyone in the future either.

We entered the music room, which was filled to the top with all kinds of instruments. Now that my mind was not thinking so hard of the future, I just went straight to the piano and asked if Beatrice could teach me a new song.

The old woman actually knew how to play the piano very well and when I found out at the age of three I instantly asked her to teach me. She was baffled, to say the least when I managed to sing the new song she was teaching me just a week after we practiced. Little did she know I had been already taking piano classes back at my old life and had 5 years of practice behind my back.

I was not a pro, nor was I that good to play anything grandiose but it certainly was weird for a three-year-old girl to be playing on that hard instrument so easily. I can't even think what was going through their heads when Beatrice asked for my mother, brother, and father to come as spectators. My father didn't come because he was busy as always.

My mother had tears in her eyes and you could practically see the proud expression that she was giving me from a mile away.

My brother was amazed and patted me on the back, saying that I would have to teach him how to do that sometime.

Now I knew some new tunes from this world thanks to Beatrice and now that I knew that it was the world of Fairy Tail I was excited to learn even more. Of course, I knew some from my old world but i would have to wait until I show them one of those songs, as to not arouse suspicion.

"Can you teach me a new song?" I asked excitedly.

The old woman grinned widely at my enthusiasm and sat down next to me in front of the piano.

"Let me see you play the one that I've been teaching you for two weeks first and then if you do it correctly all the way, I will teach you another one." She said with formality in her voice as if she were a teacher.

I nodded and started playing the catchy tune that she had been teaching me for the past two weeks. Since she saw what a fast learner I was, she wanted to give me something more challenging and that is what this song was.

I was in a trance-like state. Once I started I hardly knew where I was until, suddenly, I found myself on the floor. A loud booming sound in my ears and the blurry specs of yellow and orange.

By the time I realized what had happened, Beatrice had already grabbed me in her arms and started running away from the blast. She exited the music room into the main corridor. I was shocked and scared. It was probably really evident because the elderly old woman started shushing me and saying things like "Don't worry everything is going to be fine."

Of course, she didn't know that she was only trying to calm me down. It was strange. Even though I had my memories of when I was eighteen years old and new better than to not see the severity of the situation, her words were calming me down. I really was a child.

I was brought out of my thoughts when suddenly, Beatrice put me on the ground next to a small door and now with a serious expression, she spoke to me.

"Hurry child, go through the servants entrance out of the house. You must go on alone now. I must see to the others." She said, not hiding the worry in her voice.

I stood there, frozen. My mind was racing. What was happening? My child self was trembling but my old self just nodded to the old woman. She turned her back to me and started running in the opposite direction.

I quickly did what she said and opened the small door only to find maidens and butlers alike were rushing towards the exit and then my eyes fell upon a form that I knew all to well.

"Draco!" I yelled with trembling voice.

My brother instantly turned towards me and the shock in his eyes did not go unnoticed. He quickly bolted towards me and when he came near enough he grabbed me by the hand and started pulling me away from the house with him.

"Hurry, we need to get out of here." He said.

While we were running, I noticed It was already night time and when my eyes adjusted to the darkness I saw that he was leading me towards the stables.

When we got there he quickly let go of my hand and started preparing Silver.

"What's going on." I half-yelled, at the brink of tears.

He threw a quick glance towards me, as to assure himself that I was not crying.

"We are being attack by The Crimson Devils." He answered with a hurried voice.

"The Crimson Devils?" I asked, shocked.

"They are a dark guild that have been raiding villages for several months now. I guess that we were next on their list and now they've attacked our home." He said, finishing preparing the mare.

"Draco, I'm scared." I said, mentally slapping myself for being such a child. But I couldn't help it. It was like my mind was older but I was still a child. Still afraid of everything scary.

"Don't worry sis, I'm going to get us out of here." He exclaimed confidently while helping me to get on top of Silvers back. I'm pretty sure he was scared just as much as me but he was trying to be brave for both of us.

After that, he himself climbed on the horse and gave it the command to go forward.

The mare started running towards the nearby forest while I looked back at our mansion. It was engulfed in flames and to my shock and surprise, three black figures were approaching us.

"We are being followed." I blurted out.

Draco turned around to see who it was and then I saw the scared look in his eyes. He was afraid so very afraid. Just like me.

He gave Silver a push at her side and yelled "Come on, Silver, just a bit faster."

As if the mare understood him, she doubled her speed and we entered the forest trying to lose our pursuers. The sound of horses running was not far behind us and at that moment Draco spoke.

"Sis, do you trust me?" He asked, not keeping the scared feel to his voice a secret.

"Of course I do." I answered confused.

"Take Silver and run away from here I will distract our chasers." He said boldly.

Panic flickered in my eyes as I realized what he had said.

"No! Please don't leave me. I don't know what I will do without you." I said panicking at the situation.

He glanced towards me, pain in his eyes.

"I know that you are afraid. I am afraid as well. But this is the only way. These guys are dark wizards. Sooner or later they are going to catch up to us. I know that you are only four, but I know you. You act so much more mature. You play the piano like you've had years of experience and you even dared ride Silver with me when you were only three. I know that you will escape in one piece because I believe in you… do you believe in me?" He said with a hushed tone and I could feel that he was suppressing the tears that were trying to escape.

I nodded. "Of course I believe in you… good luck." I said, not hiding my tears. He was right. It was the only way we were going to lose them and I was probably going to survive with my knowledge, but that is not what I was afraid of.

With that, Draco jumped off the horse and commanded Silver to run away with me on her back. The last thing I heard in the distance of the dark forest was the voice of men yelling at someone before a bright light was seen at the voices direction.

I cried on top of Silver, using her mane for comfort. I had a suspicion of what that light was. It was magic and not the good kind of one.

I kept crying on top of the mare for a time until suddenly a branch hit me straight in the face and I was sent flying to the ground. When I stood up, focusing on my vision, the only thing I saw was Silvers trail going deeper into the woods.

I was alone, in the dark, in the forest. Silver was my only hope of getting somewhere and now she was gone. I picked myself up and started walking in one direction, randomly picked.

While I was treading through the dark forest I started crying quietly again looking back on how my world changed in one day, just as it changed the day of the car crash. Everyone was gone. The mansion was on fire. Draco was... and I don't even know the fate of the rest but I know better than to get my hopes up after an attack of a dark guild.

I suppressed my feelings and continued going forward at a steady pace.

* * *

I don't know how long I've been in this forest alone and scared. From the looks of it, it was two days since the raid. I was so hungry and thirsty but I dared not try to eat one of the mushrooms that I found. It's a miracle that I didn't stumble into any wildlife while I was treading through the forest.

This was my point of breaking. The exhaustion, the hunger, the thirst. It was all too much. The pain in my back and face from the fall off Silver didn't help either. I was dirty, covered in mud from head to toe. It was really disturbing since I had already grown to like the elegant dresses that my mother was giving me. My current one was torn at every possible spot from the many thorns I had passed.

That was it. The world hated me. I could no longer move. The slow walk that I've been putting up for the past day was now stopped as I fell on my knees. I felt the world around me turn dark and I fell to the ground a loud _THUMP_ was heard and I didn't move.

' _That's it…'_ I though to myself. _'I'm going to die again, if not from the exhaustion then from some wild animal that finds me on the ground like this.'_

That was my last thought before I drifted into darkness… the only thing I remember before I fell unconscious on the ground, was something... or someone picking me up.

 **A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of my first fanfiction. ^^**

 **I was really nervous writing this because i wanted for it to be perfect, so please leave a review and tell me your opinion.**


	2. Chapter 2: An Unexpected Encounter

**A/N: Hey all. Here is the second chapter of the story. After I wrote the first chapter i got all fired up and tried to get this one as fast as I could.**

 **Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter Two

An Unexpected Encounter

Fire. Death. The mansion turning to ashes in the background. Three hooded dark figures chasing us. I was on Silver, clinging to my bothers waist for dear life. That's when he turned towards me with a blood painted face and red eyes.

"Don't worry sis, they won't catch you, they will only kill me." He…it said with such a disturbing and sadistic voice that could probably turn seasoned soldiers into trembling grannies.

I look in horror at his face, wondering what was happening.

Suddenly, I was in a dark forest, walking around, my only company being the red eyes that were following me from the darkness. I tripped on some roots and fell to the hard ground.

"How long will she survive out here." Whispers all around me echoed.

"Should we put her out of her misery?" The voices continued.

"Let her suffer first." All the whispers boomed at once.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" I yelled, curling up in a ball on the ground and putting my hands on my ears.

"You are going to die, alone." They said with what seemed like delight in their voices.

"No one is even going to care that you died. That's how pathetic you are." They said, as they laughed maniacally at the last part.

I couldn't take it anymore. What was happening? Tears started coming out of my eyes. I was paralyzed, I couldn't move. And then I saw it. A giant black figure standing not too far away from me.

It slowly started moving towards me.

I couldn't move. I gave the command to my body to get up but it's not listening. I can't move a muscle. I looked at the figure, horror in my eyes. It came to about a foot away from me. It just stood there observing me. And then all I saw was it's hands enveloping my form and then…

I woke up. I bolted in a siting position. I was still half asleep. Cold sweat on my forehead.

' _It was all a dream?' I though to myself, relieving the panic. 'Ugh I don't want to get up yet, Beatrice is going to make me practice balancing the books again.' I sighed mentally. 'Just a few more minutes.'_

I fell on my back again, closing my eyes and trying to relax.

And then it hit me. This was not all a nightmare. The mansion burned down. They got Draco!

Once again I bolted into a siting position, this time fully awake. I started scanning my surrounding. It was a dark place. I saw a light coming from one end though. This was a half cave. Those kinds that some creatures use.

' _Oh god! What have I gotten myself into'_ I though, swallowing a lump.

I continued looking around and my eyes stopped dead in their tracks as they met one pair of blue and violet colored eyes.

 _YEEEEP!_

That was all that came out of my mouth, panic starting to fill me.

As if to my scare, fires started bursting out of torches that were standing idle on the corners of the half cave. Now everything was bright and I could clearly see the blue and violet gigantic form that was near me.

' _OH… MY… GOD!'_ Was all my mind could say at this moment.

There was no doubt about it. I knew exactly what this was in front of me. The blue scales, with a hint of violet on them. The huge form. The wings that were rising from it's back. This was a dragon!

"So, you're finally awake." It or rather he, as his voice was hinting, said calmly.

I couldn't say a word. I was frozen.

He stood up and made a pose as if he wanted me to see him whole. He was huge!

He looked right into my wide green eyes and asked me calmly.

"Are you afraid of me?"

I stood there, thinking. Was I afraid? Was that why I couldn't say anything. No… that's not it at all. I'm excited. This was a real live dragon and he was standing in front of me… conversing with me even.

"No." I said confidently.

He watched me, shock on his lizard-like face. It must be pretty strange for a dragon who is probably used to fully grown men and rune knights quivering in fear at the mere sight of his kind and yet here stood a four year old girl in front of him, who mind you, just boldly exclaimed she is not afraid of him.

"I'm actually quite fascinated. I've always wanted to meet a dragon." I continued. That was true. In my old life I've always dreamed of dragons being real. They were creatures that amazed me. I always admired them.

He just observed me. I could just think what was going through his thoughts right now.

"Don't you fear that I will harm you, young one?" He asked with a hint of fascination in his voice.

He won't harm me, will he? I mean the last thing I remembered is when I fell unconscious.

"You were the one that saved me, were you not? If you wanted to harm me, you would have done so already and not just let me rest." I answered.

He just stood there in silence again. I must be a pretty weird girl huh?

"You are pretty sharp for a little girl. Tell me what is your name?" He said with a now gentle voice.

"My name is Anora, nice to meet you." I said giving the dragon a huge grin and closing my eyes in the process.

"I am the Arcane Dragon Inoreth Ontrix." He proudly exclaimed.

"And what age might you be, little one?" He asked.

"I'm four years old." I answered.

The look on his face was now a mix of fascination and shock.

"What is a four year old girl like you doing, exploring this dark forest on her own?" He asked.

I looked back at what had happened to my family. Pain engulfed my heart as I remembered the visions from my nightmare and my memories of the fated day.

"I… I was running away from the bad people that destroyed my home and killed my friends and family." I said, tears trying to force themselves out.

"I wondered what all the commotion was about in the near village, three days ago. So you have nowhere to go now?" He asked me, now in a sitting position on all his fours, so that his head can be right in front of mine.

I merely nodded at his question, looking down to try and hide my eyes filled with pain at the moment.

He observed me for a moment. Then when he opened his mouth again, came a question I was not prepared for…

"Do you wish to stay with me? You can live here with me if you want. Since you are so young and you have nowhere to go I can take care of you." He said with such a gentle voice as if he were speaking to his own child.

I eyed him funny.

' _Did a dragon just ask me to stay with him?'_ I though, not believing where this conversation was going.

I looked straight into his blue-violet eyes and he looked straight into my green ones.

"What?" Was all that came out of my mouth.

"You can stay with me and I will watch over you since you have nowhere to go." He repeated himself.

I was baffled to say the least. This dragon saved my life and now that he finds out that everyone I knew is dead, he asks if he can adopt me… If the circumstances of our meeting were different I would be jumping to the heavens right now.

"I can stay?" I asked him, hopeful as if I didn't hear him the first two times. It was just all to strange and my mind was having problems processing what was going on.

"Of course you can. I am not going to leave a child like you on her own in this forest." He said, grinning widely, revealing his huge teeth.

I watched amazed as the dragon said that like it was the most obvious choice.

And from then forth, he kinda adopted me. I was like his daughter and he was like my father. I even took up his name. 'Montesque' brought up to many painful memories so in time I decided to switch it for his.

* * *

Three weeks passed since the day we met. He gave me some new clothes. A blue and violet dress with hints of white. I really love that dress. It wasn't too formal but at the same time it looked so beautiful. Needless to say that it was my favourite thing to wear.

Then he showed me around the forest. We went fishing a few times. I was really bad at the beginning but I got the hang of it really fast. At night he would go fetch us dinner while I waited in the cave.

I really grew to love him as my dad even more so than my old one. My old dad, of the Montesque family was not the best one but even if he was kind of a douche I still cared about him.

Today was yet another peaceful day. He left me by the lake that we usually fish in and told me to stay here while he went to do something, not explaining himself. He just said "Wait here, I'll be back soon." And with that he was off.

It was kind of boring really. I wasn't in the mood of fishing and I really didn't want to wait in one spot till he returned either. So the silly, little old me decided that the best course of action was to explore the forest… on my own.

I walked between the huge trees observing the scenery. You know when you are not being chased by crazed lunatics, this place is a lot more beautiful. I chuckled to myself.

I was suddenly stopped dead in my tracks as I heard a growl from behind a bush. I quickly looked at it and observed it moving.

Of course being as I am, totally wise mind you, I went in and checked it. As I neared the bush I saw it twitch a bit again. When I got right in front of it I reached for the bush with both of my hands and moved it to the side.

…And what do you know, a bunny startled me by jumping towards me from the bush. I caught it in my arms and smiled shyly.

I sighed. "You almost gave me a heart attack, you know that?" I said, chuckling.

' _But wait, if you were hiding in there, then what was the growl I heard' ?_

That same moment a wolf jumped at me. I barely dodged. In my panic I put the rabbit on the ground and started running away. As I ran I picked up a big stick that was lying on the ground and I turned to stand my ground.

I knew that I can't outrun a wolf. This was a very bad situation. I may have been eighteen years old in my past life but this was still pretty scary. I was a four year old girl after all. What could I do against a wolf.

The wolf ignored my thoughtful face and started circling around me.

I followed it with the stick in my hands. The situation looked dire. I can't do much If it decides to attack. What am I going to do? I can't even climb a tree.

Suddenly the wolf jumped at me. He hit me and I fell to the ground, the only thing stopping his jaw to get to my neck was the stick that was currently shoved into the creatures mouth, keeping it at bay.

The situation was dire. The wolf was on top of me and I wasn't strong enough to get it off me. The stick would soon break and then I will be all over.

' _I need to find a way to escape.'_ I though, but I had nothing. I couldn't think of one thing that could save me right now.

 _THUD_

The ground shook as a thunder-like sound echoed through the air. I looked past the wolf which was now not concentrated on killing me but was trying to identify what the loud sound was.

I wasn't hard really. I mean who can miss a huge azure dragon, standing in the middle of the forest.

Inoreth roared at the wolf with all his might. The creature got scared and ran away as fast as it could.

' _Whew, that was close.'_ I thought to myself, lying down on the ground to rest a bit.

"Anora…" Came a really angry sounding voice from the direction of my saviour…

' _I guess I'm not out of the gutter yet.'_ I speculated, knowing full well that I deserved the scolding that was coming my way as dad started walking towards me.

"I thought I told you to stay near the lake Anora. What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed today if didn't come in time." He scolded angrily.

"I know…I know...It was a really stupid decision but I was so bored." I mumbled through my teeth.

He looked at me annoyed.

"Bored or not, you know that the forest is full of predators." He sighed.

"I guess part of the fault was on me for leaving you like that, but promise me that you won't go wandering alone in the future." He said with a serious tone to his voice.

"I promise." I said looking down, ashamed.

"Good, now let's go do something fun, how does that sound." He said, back with his usual cheerful tone.

"Yeah!" I answered excitedly, putting my mistake in the past.

"Then hop on." He said, grinning ear to ear.

I eyed him, confused.

"What?" I asked, for confirmation mostly.

"Hop on my back" He said, leaning his head towards the ground. "We are going sight seeing."

I had stars in my eyes. He never did allow me to ride him before. That's why I was so confused. Not that I asked him but I guess it just never came up.

I climbed on his neck and he warned me.

"Hold on tight now."

He jumped in the air and started flapping his huge wings on his back. In an instant we were in the air and we were going even higher. We went through the clouds and I tried to touch them. They were so puffy.

"Now the fun begins, hold on to something." He said with his trademark grin that showed his sharp teeth in all their glory.

I did what he asked of me and held to him for dear life and then without any further warning, he dived down towards the ground, like a bullet, with such a speed that I was having a hard time trying to keep my face on.

Right before we hit the ground he stretched out his wings and we started flying in normal speed again, just above the trees of the forest.

I raised my hands in the air, forming fists in the process and yelled with all my might.

"Yeah! That was so awesome. Let's do it again." I said, not containing my giddiness.

He just chuckled at my comment.

We were picking up speed once more and we were going towards the clouds yet again.

This time instead of diving, he did a roll. I was not prepared for that and I fell. I started panicking, while dad merely started flying near me, pretending to be falling with me.

"Nice weather today." He joked, smiling at me.

I put up an annoyed look. "This isn't funny." I told him and he just laughed. "Ok. Maybe just a bit." I said, laughing with him.

We were nearing the ground now so he dove further under me and cought me before I fell to the ground.

Amused by his antics I asked.

"What more do you have up your sleeve?" I asked, mischievously.

He grinned.

"Oh I have a few more tricks, don't worry." Just as he said that, he grabbed my leg with one of his hands and threw me in the air, startling me. Then he made a backflip and caught me by the hands while I was still going up. Then he threw me even higher and did the same thing, over and over again.

After a few more throws and some more backflips he let me fall freely while he was diving right beside me.

Before we reached the ground he caught me by the hands and put me back on his neck.

"I think I was going to be sick there for a minute." I said, putting my right hand on my mouth.

He laughed full heartedly and I put on an amused look.

We were flying normally now, just observing the beautiful scenery. We stayed like that in silence. I didn't know that the land of Fiore was so beautiful from up here. You can't really appreciate it as much behind a screen in your own room.

We reached a top of a high mountain, which peak was in the clouds.

He landed on the summit and I jumped off of him. I looked at him and grinned ear to ear.

"We gotta do that more often." I said, excitedly.

"We will, if you want." He said smiling as usual.

We just stood there. Surprisingly this wasn't the only peak in the clouds. Around us were three or four more.

We stayed like that in silence. He was first to break it.

"Anora. For a while now I've felt that you radiate a certain aura around you." He said, leaving me with a confused expression.

"I can feel strong magic running through you." He elaborated. "If you wish, I can teach you how to wield it. Know though, that the magic that I can teach you is not regular. It is called Dragon Slayer magic. If you wish it, I can cast a spell on you that will grant you the ability to use it, but know that it will be a bit painful because your body will go through somea changes." He said, with a serious tone.

I stood there, processing the information that was coming my way. I remembered the anime back in my old life. Dragon Slayer magic. The magic bestowed to the humans from dragons. The only magic that can harm a dragon. Supposedly it is learned when a dragon casts an ancient spell on the person they wish to train, changing their body to gain the traits of a dragon.

Once one learns this type of magic they will gain the power of the element that their dragon teacher is connected with. Their lungs will change to contain the breath of a dragon. Their skin will turn to dragon scales to protect against the said element. Their nails will turn to claws with which they can attack and their teeth will sharpen.

The student will also get the ability to consume the element of their dragon teacher to gain more power. But in the anime there never was an Arcane dragon.

' _I wonder what element dad uses.'_ I though to myself.

I'm really excited. The sparkles in my eyes were probably visible from a mile away. I stood in silence, thinking like that for a few seconds.

"Dad, please teach me. I've always wanted to wield magic." I said, the excitement within me was so much, I probably wouldn't even be able to contain it even if I wanted.

"Very well. Brace yourself now. This is going to hurt a bit." He said gently.

He raised his giant claw to my head, which was so tiny compared to his hand. As he did so, the tip of his talon started to glow a faint blue-violet light and then he touched my forehead with it.

With that I felt a surge of pain in my chest. I could feel my lungs shifting left and right. Then my whole skin started to burn and my teeth ached. I could feel my nails going sharper and I could feel the magic flowing through my veins. A burst of light surrounded my from and in an instant it vanished alongside the pain.

I looked at him and he was smiling lightly.

"Now you are a dragon slayer. You wield my magic. My element is magic itself."He said while I just stared at him.

' _Magic itself? How is that even possible?'_ I thought.

"You see, when mages cast spells they have a magical pool of energy within them from which they draw their strength from. When depleted, this pool slowly starts to regenerate itself through the Ethernanos in the air. I can manipulate those particles to conjure objects or powerful arcane attacks. "He explained. "I cannot however manipulate the Ethernanos that another mage is using as a fuel for his own magic." He continued.

"Dragon Slayer magic allows you to get more powerful by consuming the element that has been granted to you, meaning that as an arcane dragon slayer you can directly take power from the air you breathe. But, that doesn't happen from the Ethernanos in it. In order to consume your element, which is arcane, there must be a high amount of these little particles to form a charged Ethernano called Arcania. Arcania is a group of empowerd Ethernanos from the released magical energy around them. Meaning that when in battle, the longer you fight, the more Arcania will be created, the more power you will gain by breathing the air." He continued his explanation, keeping his voice deep and serious so that I can get everything.

I just listened quietly, taking every bit of information.

"Now let us practice." He commanded. "Start of simple, doing this." As he said that, he raised his claw and a bright blue and purple light surrounded his hand. As he pointed towards one of the near mountain peaks, he yelled " **Arcane Dragon blast"** and the light in between his claws formed a shape as that of a laser. It shot itself towards the mountain peak, destroying it completely.

I just watched at the performance, shocked.

"That was simple?! And why did you have to destroy the mountain to show me?" I half-shouted.

He watched at me, amused, with a grin on his face.

"Well, maybe I did go a bit overboard." He merely chuckled. "Try creating the blast that I just showed you now."

I closed my eyes and exhaled. I raised my hand and I could feel the magic gathering at it. I opened my eyes and saw the light that was in dad's claws, now forming around my small hand. I stretched my hand fully, pointing towards the now destroyed mountain and yelled the words.

" **Arcane Dragon blast"**

The light in my hand started to shift and it turned it's form of that of a laser blast again. It shot itself out of my palm landing a few feet away.

 _TSSSSS._

That was the only sound that was heard before the light vanished, leaving a black spot on the ground where it landed.

I was disheartened to say the least.

"Oh come on, I was expecting at least a small explosion…" I said, annoyed.

Dad just laughed full heartedly.

"Oh come now Anora, you can't expect to be that strong from the beginning."

The sun was now setting down and it was time to go home.

"Come on, let's go back to the cave." He said.

We flew to the cave again, grabbing dinner in the form of some wild boars on our way. When we reached the cave we ate and then we were off to sleep.

Dad just curled in a ball, his tail and wings enveloping his form letting his head rest on the hard ground. I stood a bit outside watching the moonlight covering the forest with it's gentle light. The cave was on top of a small mountain and there was a spectacular view of the whole forest from the entrance. I glanced down to my right hand, observing the small blue, white and violet light that was dancing between my fingers.

I smiled at the view. Maybe I've gone through some hardship and maybe I've lost my family... twice, but I met with a dragon that is currently my adoptive father and he even taught me magic. Two of the things that I've always wanted to do.

" _Maybe the world doesn't hate me after all…"_ I smiled to my thought.

Then I turned around and went near dad. I climbed on his huge hand that was bigger that my whole body, I was still four years old after all, and nested myself in it.

By instinct, he gently leaned his wing to cover my body as if with a blanket and I drifted off to sleep.

 **A/N:Hope you guys liked the chapter. This one was more light and with more happy-fun times.**

 **If you enjoyed it, leave a review and tell me your** **opinion.**

 **See ya all in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Life I Chose

**A/N: Hey all, hope you're having a great day! Before we start I want to apologize for the reviews that were left unanswered. For some reason they are non-existent. I can't find them neither on the site nor on my e-mail. So yeah… sorry for the inconvenience. I hope the situation is fixed soon.**

 **Anyways, enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Three

The Life I Chose

Years passed since that night. Now I'm eleven years old. I turned into a carefree person living with Inoreth. It was something that I always wanted. My personality really bloomed around him. I was never ment to be a lady or a normal person.

Throughout the passage of time I grew to love dad even more. We would always go flying at least once every week. We turned that one mountain peak into our training zone, where he would teach me how to use my magic. He was a very stern teacher. He was always loveable and cheerful but when it came down to teaching me magic, he was a different dragon altogether.

* * *

Once, he left on his own again like that one time, when he left me at the river. This time, as to not get bored, as he put it, he brought a huge boulder that was half his size and told me to break it until he returns or I would be fetching dinner on my own. I was very inexperienced with that at the time.

I just looked at him with a look that was screaming ' _How in the world am I supposed to do that!?'_

I guess it was pretty obvious, because he smirked and told me that he believes that I won't have any problem doing that. And that's how I was left staring at the giant rock in front of me, while he flew to god knows where. I was six years old at the time.

"So… it's just me and you rockie. I'm going to crush you to pieces and prove to dad that I am strong" I boasted.

"Here goes." I took a stance that dad was teaching me. " **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast** " I yelled extending my arms forward, one next to the other, towards the boulder. This was an improved version of the Arcane Dragon Blast, the first spell he ever taught me. Apparently the day he taught me, the spell was way weaker when I casted it because for me it was special, it was a twin blast. I learned that after I failed multiple times trying to cast the damn projectile until one day I was so pissed that I didn't even realise I created a twin to the first blast and threw them together. Dad was really impressed at the time. As I yelled the name of the spell, two lights started circling around both my hands. Circling over my right arm was a blue and white light that was twirling and rolling towards the end of it. On my left arm, a gentle violet and white light was dancing all over from the shoulder to the palm.

As my hands connected, the two lights started dancing around one another. Their colors were complimenting each other and were now forming an arrow-like shape. In an instant, the projectile started flying towards the huge mass in front of me. The lights never stopping to dance around each other. As they hit their target, the twin blast exploded, leaving a trail of violet and blue dust around it.

When the smoke cleared, I saw that I was able to take only a chunk of the whole thing.

I groaned. "Ughhhhh... At this rate, I will never finish before dad comes back." I was annoyed to say the least. I though that I was strong enough to wreck this boulder but I guess I wasn't that powerful after all.

That was it, I wasn't powerful enough, but if I could consume my element I would gain strength.

' _But I can't create Arcania with my own magic. Dad said I can't consume my element if I was the one who created it'_ I sighed mentally. That option was out of the window.

"Well I guess I'll just have to do it the old fashion way." I readied myself again.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains"** I shouted, pointing my right hand towards the boulder as everywhere around me, see-through, purplish chains started coming out of the ground and enveloped my target. As they did, they started to squeeze the huge rock, but to no avail. All they could do was make a dent in a line form around it.

"God dang it…" I muttered. Now I was getting irritated. This rock was giving me one hell of a fight and it wasn't even sentient. I was truly pathetic. But I was determined to destroy it. I don't want to chase my dinner after all. And believe me, dad would really make me chase my dinner if I didn't do as he asked…

I moved into my stance once again.

" **Arcane Dragon Grand Impact"** I screamed with all my might, both my hands pointing towards the huge boulder. As I did so, a magical circle appeared under the enormous mass in front of me. The circle was azure in color with hints of violet and white. In the center of it was a dragon head. As soon as the magical circle was under the rock, it exploded, leaving only the purplish-blue dust behind it. As it cleared, I saw that the explosion had made a few dents and that some chunks were flying in random directions but the rock was still standing tall.

I dropped on my knees. I was still inexperienced and even this small amount of casting was really exhausting.

"This is impossible…" I said in a hushed tone, speaking to the wind.

' _Anora, I've know you since you were four and while I admit it's not much I know that you can do this. Everytime you set yourself an objective, you complete it without mistake. I am more than sure that you are up to the task. I believe in you.'_ The words of dad before he left echoed through my head.

I stood up, once again facing my foe.

"I will grind you to dust!" I yelled as I looked at the piece of stone, determination practically leaking from my eyes.

" **Arcane Dragon Spectacle"** As I yelled the name of the spell I took a different stance. I stood firm, my legs away from one another. As I said the words I crossed my hands in an 'X' formation and stood still, suddenly I expanded my arms sideways, as if mimicing an explosion. A magical circle formed underneath me. As the spell was casted, lights started forming in the air around me and my target. They were around twenty or thirty of them, at least this was how many I could summon. As they took shape, that of a pointing arrow, they all flung towards the rock hitting it from all directions.

I stood there barely on my feet, my eyes looking at the ground while I was trying to catch my breath. When I looked up, I was shocked to say the least. The rock was damaged from every side but it still stood firm. It was half the size of dad and in my attempts I was only able to make it a few inches smaller.

I barely stood up again. _'…I believe in you.'_ Dad's words were now all I could hear in my mind.

I was now shaking from having released so much magical energy but I wouldn't give up. I would succeed and make Inoreth proud.

Even though I had almost spent my entire reserve of magical energy, I could feel the flow of power through me that was being driven by my determination.

'… _When casting spells, remember that the most important part is to use your emotions to make the spells more powerful. If your heart isn't in it, your power will be only half or even less of what it could be…'_ A memory of one of dad's teachings was now in my mind.

Now I stood tall, ready for the finale.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast"** As I casted my speciality, the projectile flew towards it's destination but before it could hit I casted another spell.

" **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle"** I screamed as I parted my hands toward the sides. A magical circle formed in front of the Twin blast, between the projectile and its target. This circle was different. It was still the same color but instead of the dragon head in the middle, it had a smaller circle with four lines coming from four directions as a 'X' sign that wasn't completed.

'… _Anora, listen carefully, I will teach you a spell that I want you to promise that you will use only in dire situations as it is very costly.'_

' _I promise!'_

' _It is called Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle, it doubles the power of every spell that goes through it but I think it will have a special interaction with you Twin Blast. You see, since your unique spell is formed from two Arcane Blasts it will actually quadruple it's power…'_ The memory echoed through my mind as my Twin Blast went through the magical circle in front of it, seemingly becoming much larger and the lights starting to dance even faster around one another.

As the smoke from the impact cleared, all that was standing from the small rock was a pile of rubble. I was victorious. But in the process I had lost so much magical power and since it was directly connected to my life force, I felt so weak and just collapsed on the ground, fading into darkness.

Later that day I woke up in the cave, near dad. He explained, with a proud and worried look on his face, that he never though that I would be able to break that rock. Apparently, he actually had put a protective charm on the boulder, making it much tougher than it actually was.

I was shocked, did I really break through dad's enchantment?

Of course after I told him how I actually succeeded in doing so I got the scolding of the year for using the amplification circle. Well at least I wasn't going to chase my dinner around the woods. That was a positive thing and also the fact that I destroyed a boulder with dad's enchantment on it!

* * *

Life was more or less training and having fun with dad. By the time I was seven I already knew the whole forest as if it itself was my home. Well to be honest I did grow up in it so that's not too far away from the mark. Sometimes dad would surprise me with something new. Like a new way to have fun or a new spell that I didn't know.

Such a day was the day of my eight birthday. April 14th X774.

On that day he brought me to our training zone, the mountain peak which was kind of our special place. There were some differences there, like the fact that from the four peaks that were visible when I was four years old, now only two were standing tall. What can I say, dad was sometimes overdoing his demonstration…

When we reached the summit I hopped of off dad and asked him.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked cheerfully.

"Well since this is your eight birthday, I though I would make this training session a bit more interesting today." He said, forming his trademark grin.

"Today I will teach you how to use your Arcane Dragon Roar." He said smiling at me from ear to ear.

I was ecstatic. I would finally be able to roar like him. Throughout the years my body had fully changed. My lungs were now able to contain the breath of an Arcane Dragon and my skin had small scales that were not so visible until I started using my power. My skin was now resistant to cold and heat and I could take a lot more punishment than I could before even if I was only eight years old. My canines had grown a bit and my other teeth had become sharper.

I just looked at him with my wide green eyes, awaiting for him to show me how to do it.

"Now look at how a dragon roars Anora." He said as he found his target in the distance.

" **Arcane Dragon Roar"** He bellowed. As he did, a purplish-blue and white light started bursting out of his maw. It was huge and you could probably feel the power that his roar was emitting from the other side of the country. His roar found it's mark and hit the near mountain peak that was a few miles away from us.

A sweat drop formed on my head as I looked at him and he turned his head to look at me, grinning from ear to ear. "Another one bites the dust. You know, that's your third mountain peak that you've destroyed for four years…" I said, already used to that.

"If you keep destroying the landscape like that people would have to make out their maps all over again." I said and he laughed.

"Come now, you know how I can go a bit overboard…" He said, mimicking me to try it myself.

' _I know all too well'_ I smirked at my though.

I took a stance, ready and determined to make my roar be heard to at least a mile away.

" **Arcane Dragon Roar"** I bellowed, trying to imitate dad. But all that came out were a few blue and violet particles and a small yelp.

Dad just laughed and I was flustered.

"But that was pathetic." I groaned.

"If you keep practicing , you will be destroying mountains on your own in no time, I'm sure of it" Dad said, smiling.

I just laughed at his comment.

I practiced the roar on the summit the whole day while dad was just watching me and encouraging me. After a few hours of trying we practiced some of the old spells and finished with some meditation because that's how you could expand your magical energy. This wasn't your typical meditation though. This was rough. While sitting, legs crossed, you have to expel the energy in you until you are drained.

Every night after training dad would carry me back to the cave and we would eat and go to sleep.

Sometimes I still had nightmares but they weren't as bad for I knew that with dad around me, I was safe. I mean what in the world would be scarier than Inoreth when he is angry? I grew a habit of sleeping in his hand while he covered me with his wing. It was actually pretty comfortable and comforting in a way.

This is how my days went mostly. Sometimes I would be alone while dad went somewhere, he never told me about and I didn't pry. If he wanted he would have told me. I would take a stroll in the forest. Now that I knew how to wield magic I felt much more secure and dad even allowed me to do it as long as I was careful. Sometimes I would spend my days with dad, laughing and having fun and others we would dedicate all of our time to training. It was not a varied life but it was something that I enjoyed every second of.

* * *

Everything was going well until this fateful day. As I said, now I was eleven years old. This day started like any other. I woke up and as I stretched and made my bones crack, I woke up the big dragon that was sleeping next to me. Today was my turn to fetch us food so I quickly got up and chased a bunch of wild geese and boars for lunch. Today was a day off and we were planning of having lots of fun.

Our first stop was at the river, where we started fishing. Since I started using magic I hardly ever used a rod anymore, instead I would catch the fish with my magic.

Our next stop was the flying session. I could never get enough of that. Even if his tricks were not in abundance, I didn't really care. I loved the feeling of the wind in my long, blonde hair and the feeling of touching those puffy clouds. Of course some stunts were never out of the question. They made flying that much more exciting.

Next up was our special place, the mountain top. We landed with a loud _THUMP_ on the summit and stood there in silence.

It was getting late already. Before we got here we made a competition of who would catch more boars in half an hour. The score was thirty seven to sixty three for him. I was outclassed to say the least. Of course we released them because we didn't want to kill them. We only kept a few for dinner.

While we stood there in silence I noticed that he wasn't smiling as usual. He was always so cheerful and his grin was always from ear to ear. But now he had only half a smile, the kind that people make when they remember fond moments before they part with them. I was really confused, I didn't know what was happening so I broke the silence.

"D…Dad? Is everything ok?" He just looked the other way.

"Yeah." He answered, turning towards me.

I felt a sudden change of the atmosphere, now it was gloomier. Saddening even. And then I remembered. I remembered the anime from my old life. The years were taking their tool and I was slowly forgetting some things ,of course, but I still remembered a large part of my life in the other world. The 7th of July X777. The day the dragons disappeared. Well they didn't actually disappear, they went inside their children to create antibodies to prevent them from turning into dragons from the magic that they are using. Was that fated day drawing near? Was that why he was sad? Because he had to leave.

Now that I think about it, I myself started to feel sadness at my core but I wanted to know for certain and not only speculate even though I knew that the answer was the one I didn't want to hear.

"Well… you kind of seem down lately. Usually your smile rivals that of a man that finds a crate of gold in front of his doorstep everyday." He chuckled at my association. "You sure everything is alright?"

He simply nodded not even saying a word. Now I was worried.

"D…dad… what day is it today." I asked in a hushed tone.

"It's the 6th of July X777 Anora, why do you ask?" He looked at me, as if suspicious of something.

"For no reason at all, the question just popped in my mind, that's all." I lied through my teeth, looking down at the ground so that he wouldn't see my face full of pain.

"I think that we should go back to the cave, it's getting late." He inquired, without his cheerful tone.

I just nodded and climb on his back. He spread his wings and we were off to our home. We ate dinner and were preparing to sleep. Today however, dad was not asleep when we finished dinner, he was still awake and waiting for me to finish with my night sight seeing as I looked out of the cave entrance. Usually I would come because the scenery was beautiful and it always calmed me before I went off to dream land but today, I just came because I didn't want him to see the small tears that were forming in my eyes.

I knew why he was so sad today. It's the same reason I was sad. He was going to disappear tomorrow. I will wake up and he will be gone. I came out to dry my eyes out before I went inside. Dragons had heightened senses like smell, hearing and vision. I found that out when he first taught me Dragon Slayer Magic. With the change of my physique their also came changes to my senses of smell, hearing and vision. I started to smell the faintest of scents, I was able to hear a great distance away and I could see further than I could ever be able to in both my lives.

So I came here to dry myself of the tears so that he couldn't be able to smell or see them. It was easier to hide them in the dark cave but I'm pretty sure he noticed that I had been sobbing a bit when I neared him. He didn't say anything about it though.

He just extended his hand, beckoning me to lay in it. I did as he wanted and nested myself comfortably in his hand. It was still larger than my body even after seven years. As I did so he pulled me closer to him and covered me with his wing.

We stayed like that for a moment. I could feel the heat he was radiating. He was so warm. And then he spoke.

"Anora, you know that I will always be there for you, right?" He asked me.

Instead of confusion I felt even sadder. He really was going to be gone by tomorrow.

I didn't say anything, afraid that my voice would crack and I wouldn't be able to hold back my tears. I just stood there, curled in a ball in his palm. He though that I was already asleep when I didn't answer him.

He sighed heavily. "…Know that I will always be with you no matter what you think, my daughter. If you ever need me just look deep inside of yourself and you will find me in your heart." He said, not hiding the pain in his voice. This was probably as hard for him as it was for me. Now I was fighting an internal battle with myself so as to not start the waterworks.

"My sweet Anora…" He continued. "You have grown so much both in length and in spirit. I am proud of you, don't ever forget that." He said as he lay his head on the hard ground finally falling asleep probably with a heavy heart.

A few moments after he was gone to dream land I couldn't hold myself anymore and I cried myself to sleep.

In the morning I woke up, alone, on the hard ground, my back hurting from sleeping on the floor. Today was that blasted day… the 7th of July X777. I though I had ran out of tears but as soon as I saw the empty cave I couldn't hold them back. I cried my heart out.

After about twenty minutes I regained my composure and started preparing for my journey. It was decided. I would join Fairy Tail. I had the skill and the mastery over magic that was required to enter a guild and now that my goal was set, nothing could stop me.

With a heavy heart I started packing what little goods I had with me. I had one cyan bag with a dragon emblem on it. I packed some of my dresses that were given to me from dad while I put my favourite one on. The violet-blue one with the hints of white. My first ever dress from Inoreth. I had some jewelry from when I helped a group of explorers, that were lost, go through the forest while dad was gone one day. To thank me, they paid me 200.000 jewels and I've kept them since then. Those were all my belongings from here. Once I packed everything in my blue bag I got out of the cave and walked towards the nearest village.

While I was just out of the cave I looked back at it and I remembered all the fond memories that I created here. A small smile crept its way on my lips. Then I turned my back and started my long journey. Even though I knew this forest like the palm of my hand I didn't know much else. I didn't know in which part of the country I was so the most logical thing to do was go to the nearest village and ask for directions.

That would certainly be interesting because I've live for seven years alone, with dad, in the forest, away from civilization. And even if I had eighteen years of experience behind my back it didn't matter much. With my time with dad I had changed my ways entirely. I was no longer the shy girl I was. I was carefree for once and I wasn't afraid to stand my ground. One tends to forget about civilization when such a life is presented to them.

With that in mind my course was set to the nearest village which was at the very least fifty miles through the forest. It was a fairly huge forest after all and I didn't have any problems going through it all when I was on the back of dad, but now I was alone and I was keeping a steady pace with which I would probably reach civilization by nightfall.

I sighed mentally, knowing that searching for Inoreth would be fruitless. He was right after all. All I needed to do was look inside my heart and I would find him there. Literally. I knew from the anime that the dragons used some kind of spell to get inside our bodies but that didn't make the pain go away. I still felt alone and vulnerable. The sadness was still here and even if all logic said that I would meet him again in time, that this sadness was pointless, my heart would say the exact opposite.

So I marched forward, my new goal in sight, my original goal – join Fairy Tail.

 **A/N: I hope everyone had as much fun reading this chapter as i had writing it. The fun of having to create Anora's spells plus the feels at the end made this chapter really interesting to do.**

 **Also don't worry if you find some ninjas, cutting onions in the back of your room, I hired them!**

 **Next chapter should be up in about two or three days, if there aren't any complications.**

 **I will see you guys in the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Day to Remember

**A/N: Hi everyone, I hope that you are having a great day. I still can't read all the reviews… it really sucks. For some reason only a few get to my e-mail and the others just vanish into some unknown abyss X,x.**

 **Well… with that aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter Four

A Day to Remember

I strolled through the forest for about seven hours before I got to a main road. As I walked I saw a sea in the distance. I could see some houses as well.

' _Finally!'_ I screamed in my mind, relieved. I may have lived in a forest and I was somewhat healthy and agile but I was still a child. My body wasn't that strong. I was eleven years after all and my feet were killing me.

Not long after I reached a small town. At the entrance there was a huge sign saying "Welcome to Hargeon."I gasped mentally. I was actually much closer to Magnolia than I though. If I remember correctly Hargeon is where Lucy and Natsu will meet in the future and Fairy Tail is not that far away.

A sudden thought wandered in my head.

' _I wonder what it will be like when I reach the guild. Will they even accept me?'_ I was sure that they would, but still, somehow I found myself in doubt. I quickly brushed those thoughts aside.

' _What am I talking about, of course they'll accept me. They are awesome and Master Makarov is the best guild master.'_ I thought, remembering the face of the old man. As far as I remember him he was pretty weird, but also one of the best people you could meet in the world.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I realized that it was getting late.

"I have to find somewhere to rest for the night." I mumbled and looked around.

I saw a building with a sign hanged on it that read "Sleeping Stag Inn."

' _Some rest would be nice._ '

I head towards the building and open the main door.

 _CREEEEEEEEEK._

I winced at the sound. That sounded like it came out of a horror movie. An elderly man around his sixties looked at me as I entered. He had white hair and brown eyes. He greeted me with a warm smile. I walked up to him, not paying much attention at the people, all male, that stared when I entered before turning to do whatever they were doing.

They looked really intimidating. They had tattoos over their bodies and they were really buff. I looked at them for only a second before I turned my attention to the old man.

"Room for one for the night, please." I said, sounding as polite as I could make my voice sound.

"Aren't you too young to be wandering alone, little girl?" He asked me, eyeing me funny.

"I'm just passing by and I need a place to stay." I evade his question as best I can.

He looks at me in silence for a minute but then he hands me a key.

"That would be 20.000 jewel."

I pull the exact amount of money out of my azure bag, trying not to reveal how much money I have and gave it to him, taking the key. It's better if strangers don't know what you carry with you. That was something I knew from my old life.

"Second floor, the room on the right." He says calmly.

I nod and start to go up the stairs. As I was going up, I could've sworn I heard one of those people in the back talking something about me. My hearing had become stronger since I learned my magic from dad and even though the man said it in a whisper, I could still faintly hear the words "…second floor…" and "…little girl…".

' _GREAT!'_ I shouted in my mind. That blasted dragon hearing was a blessing and a curse. How was I supposed to sleep now knowing that something might happen to me. The fact that I was at times a very paranoid person didn't help the situation either.

I got to the room that was mine for the night. I put the key in they keyhole and with one swift motion the door was opened. It wasn't a big deal, really. It was a small room but it looked really comfy. There was a bath that I was all so eager to take and a bed that looked like it was made from angle feathers right now. Ok maybe I'm going a bit overboard here, the bed was just a normal bed, but after eight hours of walking and seven years living in a cave, a bed is a blessing of the heavens.

I took a quick bath to freshen myself up. It was really refreshing and I felt like a huge boulder fell off my shoulders. I double checked to see if my room was locked. It wasn't a really good safety measure but at lest if the people from downstairs wanted to do something stupid they would have to make a lot of noise in order to enter.

After that I changed into a T-shirt with which to sleep in and I jumped on my bed and let my muscles rest. I didn't even feel my eyes closing and just like that I was sleeping as a log.

* * *

Mourning came and thank the lord I had no problems for the night. No sound and no waking up from suspicious activities.

' _I guess I was paranoid for nothing. The men probably just though I was a weird sight. I mean an eleven year old girl going into an inn, alone, to stay for the night. Yeah that kinda sounds weird.'_ I think while stretching my arms and legs, not fully awake.

I sat on the end of the bed, lazily keeping my eyes closed. I tried to reach for my bag to change clothes and I swatted at the air. Again. And again.

' _Dang it, I don't have time for games, bag!'_ I frowned. I was not a morning person. I had my rare moments but today was not one of them.

I finally opened my eyes to see where I put the blasted thing. At that moment my eyes opened fully and I was no longer half asleep. I bolted off the bed and started looking around franticly.

That bag was my last gift from Inoreth and all my belongings are in there. I started panicking, looking around the whole room.

' _Crap! My bag! The money is inside and…'_ My eyes widened.

"MY DRESS FROM INORETH!" I screamed. Yep, no one was sleeping anymore in this inn even if they were, a few moments ago. I wonder why…

Joke aside, I was in rage. One would say, like a bull. That was my most cherished gift from my dad and no one was going to get away with stealing it. How did they even get inside without breaking in?!

I started walking towards the door, when I noticed I'm currently dressed in only my T-shirt and my panties.

"I can't go around the city like that?!" I was struck with shock at my discovery.

' _Can this day get any worse… NO! Don't say that. Bad things happen when someone says that.'_ As much as I was trying to play it cool I was really starting to panic, hard.

I had no choice. I got out of the room and downstairs to where the old man was last night. He was in the same place, behind the counter.

He looked at me, shock displayed on his features. I was flustered. This was so embarrassing. But then I had an idea.

"Excuse me sir, do you happen to have some spare clothes I can use?" I asked my face burning red.

He looked me over trying to understand what was going on.

"I woke up this morning and my belongings were gone. Do you happen to have something I could wear?" I asked again, pleading to god that this man would show me mercy one way or another.

He stood in silence for a second and then turned around and opened a door behind him.

"Wait here." He said, entering the room in the back.

After a few minutes he came back with a small dress.

"This is all I have." He said. "It was my daughter's when she was young."

I looked at the man, taking the dress that he offered.

It was tight fit but I was better than nothing. It was a long blue dress. I sincerely thanked the man for helping me out in this awkward situation.

"Um sir, do you know what happened with the men that were staying there last night." I asked, pointing towards the place that they sat in.

"They checked off early in the morning." He said.

"Do you happen to know where they were going?" I asked.

Last I saw them, they were heading towards the docks. If you head now you should be able to catch them, but why do you want to know where they are?"

"I think they are the ones that stole my belongings." I said, my arm forming a fist.

The man gasped. "If you think so, then you mustn't follow them, they are probably dangerous. Let me call the authorities and we will sort things out, ok little girl?" He said, concern in his eyes.

I smiled widely, showing my now larger and sharper canines. "No need for that, I kinda wanted to try out my new moves on some bad guys anyways."

The old man looked at me in shock.

"Are you a wizard?" He asked.

I formed a small violet and blue light in my hand. I smirked at the man and exited the building.

And then it hit me.

' _When did I become so confident?'_ In my old life I was so shy and anti-social and right now I just asked a stranger for some clothes and told him that I'm going to hunt the ones that stole my things from me… oh and I'm a little girl.

I smiled slightly.

' _I guess, deep down I always was like this…'_

After my small realization I remembered my mission and I started running towards the docks.

I stopped near a large ship that looked like it was about to set sail. It was then that I saw one of the men from the inn and I hid behind a crate. He was carrying some boxes on to the ship and then I noticed some of the others.

They were all just a pile of muscles and lots of tattoos. Very intimidating. I was a bit scared for a moment but then my eyes landed on a woman that was standing on the ship. My eyes flickered with fire and I could feel my whole body tensing up.

What was this feeling. It was rage. Pure and uncontrollable rage. Much bigger than the emotion that came to me this morning when I realized I was robbed. No this was something primal. As I was looking at the woman I felt something raging within me like a storm. She was wearing my dress. Inoreth's violet and azure colored dress that I adored as my own being. My greatest gift from dad.

He put an enchantment on it to make it so that it size changed based on the person who wore it so that I could always wear it no matter how much I grew. And now it was in the hands of this woman, this thief.

I looked away before I did something drastic. But then I stole another glance. They didn't look like wizards, only common thieves. I could probably handle them. I sighed. I guess I'm doing this the Natsu way.

I took a deep breath and came out of hiding.

"Oi. You lot!" I shouted and every gaze in the vicinity was now pointed towards me.

"You stole my things, now I want them back!" I said with confidence that I didn't know where it was coming from.

Everyone laughed at me. The woman looked at me with one of those looks that screamed _Oh I'm so much better than you._

"Go home to daddy and mommy before you get yourself hurt missy." She said with a voice that a fox would be envious of. She was a tall woman, with black hair and brown eyes.

My hand formed a fist at her remark. My eyes shadowed by my hair.

"I'm not going anywhere before I get my belongings, ya hear me?" I said, looking at her straight in the eye. My hair as if on command revealed my eyes that were seeping with determination and I assume that I was giving them one of Erza's glares because I swear I saw a sweat drop on her face for a moment.

"And I am most definitely not going anywhere without that dress!" I glared daggers at her.

"Is that so?" She said with a smirk.

"Well what a nuisance you are, little brat." She said, mockingly. "I gave you a chance to escape and this is how you talk back to my kindness?"

"Men! Get that brat!" She ordered with a voice that could poison a person by just listening to it.

I flinched at her words looking down at the ground. All around me, big buffed men surrounded my form. I believe that they thought I was really scared of them and I couldn't even look at their scary faces. That was not it. Not it at all. I was seeping with rage. I could feel the power in my body wanting to escape already. After all, a person's magic was connected to his or her feelings and right now I felt like I could bring down a mountain.

They drew closer and closer while I just stood there, the ground being so interesting.

On of the stretched a hand towards me but before he could grab me I spoke.

"Unforgivable." I whispered.

"What did you say?" The one who tried to grab me stopped dead in his tracks, confused.

"Unforgivable!" I screamed as a magical circle formed beneath me.

" **Arcane Dragon Spectacle"** I yelled as the man that stood a few feet away from me look at me in shock. In an instant, little arrow-like shapes of purple and blue light started to form over the bunch and with a wave of my hand they all flew in random directions, hitting all of them.

The few that weren't hit and knocked out by the blasts looked around in horror and then started charging towards with a yell.

"I will never forgive you for desecrating the memory of Inoreth! It's one thing to steal money from me but the gift from my father… unforgivable!" I spat venomously. I had let my rage flow through me entirely.

Some of the bunch that weren't knocked out by my spectacle were now nearing me. I turned to face them.

" **Arcane Dragon Roar!"** I yelled with all my might. This time instead of a yelp like when I was six, came a strong sounding voice. Not nearly as strong as a dragon's but it was a start. I hadn't mastered the ability fully yet but it would have to suffice for now.

As I roared blue and purple particles started seeping out of my mouth and engulfed my enemies, laying waste to them.

All the brutes were now laying on the docks, knocked out. And then I heard clapping.

"Bravo. It would seem that this kitty has some claws." The woman said with that annoying voice.

"But I must say, you've really put a dent in my time, brat." She said, preparing for something. "Now let me show you this lionesse's claws!"

With that a magical circle formed at her hand that was currently pointed towards me.

" **Shadow Strike"** She said, calmly.

Out of all the shadows around me, a black gooie substance shot itself towards me.

Without even thinking, I acted on instinct.

" **Arcane Dragon's Shelter"** This was a defencive spell that dad taught me to protect myself from hostile magic. A violet see-through light surrounded me as I used my hands to support it with my magic.

As the projectiles connected to the shield I felt the brute force behind the woman's attack. I winced at the power and the shield cracked, bursting to pieces while I fell on my bum.

' _Maybe I'm not ready for this, she is so strong. Dang it, this is such a major screw up, she is so much tougher than me.'_ I started panicking but I quickly calmed down when I remembered the words that dad had told me when I was trying to destroy that rock that was 'impossible' at the time.

'… _I believe in you.'_ Was all I heard and all I needed to hear.

I got up. Ready as I'll ever be.

 _"_ Oh, so you don't just intend to lie down and die, that's good." The woman boasted.

 _"_ I might just take pleasure in killing you. I haven't had a good fight in a while, care to deliver?" She asked mockingly.

I looked her dead in the eye and my arms folding into fists. That same determination in my eyes from when I was faced against the 'impossible to defeat rock'.

"Listen, just give me my dress and my belongings and this won't have to get ugly." I said with a growl. I was really mad. So mad that I was forgetting that I was still a child. I had the mind of an adult but my body wasn't the strongest and losing sight of that fact was dangerous.

The woman chuckled at my antics.

"My, my, such strong words for such a little brat. But unfortunately for you, I tire of you already. Because of you, I've lost valuable time and now you are going to pay for that." She said, her voice, deadly.

That didn't break my resolve. I was dead set on getting that dress back and no one was going to stop me.

My roar wasn't strong enough so I went with the spells I knew best and had lots of experience with.

 _"_ **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains"** My voice boomed as I casted the spell. Purplish see-through chains starting to erupt from the ground and shooting themselves straight towards the woman.

She merely chuckled. "Pathetic."

" **Shadow Meld"** Just like that she vanished, sucked into a nearby shadow. My chains missing entirely.

I blinked in shock. Where did she go? I started scanning the area around me.

"Right behind you." Came a voice from behind me. I turned in a hurry only to see her form preparing to strike.

" **Shadow Blast"** As soon as I heard the words a projectile, black as night, shot towards me and exploded right in front of me knocking me a few feet away.

I landed on the hard ground with a few bruises and some wounds.

 _'That hurt like hell._ ' I winced. _'I can't give up so easily though. I'll show her whose stronger here!_ 'I stood up, determination leaking from my eyes.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you brat?" She spat, she was furious. That was good, I was getting to her and she wouldn't be able to think straight. That's one of the lessons dad taught me, try and distract an enemy that is stronger than you to gain the advantage.

I grinned at the fond memories of him teaching me. I faced her weakly.

"I… won't give up, no matter what. I will get that dress back and there ain't no shadow wielding madwoman that can stop me!" I said with a small smile, trying to get her mad.

Her eye twitched. That was good.

"You imbecile, I will have your head." She said with a growl.

" **Shadow Strike"** She repeated her attack. Good, she was becoming predictable. As I was dodging or shielding some of the projectiles I realized something.

 _'When did I become such a tactician?'_ I chuckled mentally. ' _I never would have thought that playing video games would help me in such a way.'_

She was growing more and more irritated and her attack patterns became really predictable, now to counter her. But how? She has a relentless barrage of attacks I can't stop to cast an offencive spell or she'll hit me.

I pondered how to act. The dock now had a few hole in it so I had to watch out not to fall in them too. Right as I was thinking how to act I felt a strange sensation. Then realization hit me. She has been using enough magic power to create arcania in the air. I could already feel my power growing much stronger as I inhaled the air with the newly produced arcania in it.

'Maybe. Just maybe, with this much power I can use my finishing blow without fainting.' I speculated.

It was a huge risk. She somehow deflected it or if I wasn't strong enough and fell unconscious after casting the spell, things could get ugly.

 _'I don't have other options.'_ I pondered. _´It's the only way.'_

As I was dodging the most recent projectile I heard her cast something new.

"I've had enough of this scharade." She gritted her teeth.

" **Curse of the Shade"** She said, pointing her right hand at me.

Suddenly, I couldn't move.

 _'What the?!'_ I looked down to see that two shadowy hands had grabbed my feet and were pulling me into a shadow.

 **"Shadow Blast"** She yelled.

I started to panic as the projectile flew towards me. NO! This is not the time. Instead I concentrated.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast"** I connected my hands to one another as the familiar lights started dancing around each other while shooting towards their target.

" **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle"** The circle appeared in front of my spell and amplified it's power, like it did five years ago. This time though, I had more power thanks to the arcania in the air and the training sessions I had with dad and while I felt really weak after casting the spell, I wasn't nearly finished with my reserve of magical power. The air was still filled with arcania and even now I could feel my power still growing.

My twin blast ripped through her Shadow one and was now heading towards her. The woman was shocked by the sheer amount of magical energy coming her way and in her panic she didn't react in time, the projectile connecting with her.

There was a huge blast and then the woman was on the ground, near the men that had fallen before her, knocked out cold.

I fell to my knees as the shadowy hands stopped pulling me into the nearby shadow.

"I did it? I did it!" I said cheerfully. I had defeated a bunch of thieves on my own.

I got up, went to the knocked out woman and took my dress and my azure bag that was inside one of the crates that was being carried to the ship. Thank god the crate had cracked throughout the fight or I would have never found my bag.

Not long after that, rune knights came to the scenery. Apparently, this didn't go unnoticed. Why was I even surprised? The event happened at the docks, at lunch time, in the middle of the city, of course there would be some eyewitnesses that called the authorities.

They asked me a few questions and I told them everything that happened. The look on their face, when I told them I one handedly defeated all of the thieves, was priceless. When they finished asking me questions and I was about to leave I asked them how to get to Magnolia and they pointed me towards the nearest train station, saying that there is a train to Magnolia in a few hours. I thanked them for telling me and I was off.

When I got the ticket they told me the train was due in three hours so I had time to spare. I went around town, looking at this and that to pass the time. I visited the only magical shop that was in the town. I didn't end up buying anything though, there wasn't much in it.

Then I went to a store and bought myself a diary and a pen. Since with time my memory was fading, I decided to write everything that I remember from my old life here so as to not forget some important stuff.

After all that I still had one hour left to spare so I went to a nearby restaurant and had lunch and after that i returned the blue dress to the old man and thanked him again for his kindness.

It was only five minutes before the train comes now. I was so nervous. I was actually this close to becoming a member of Fairy Tail. One train trip away and I would be in Magnolia. I sighed in delight.

The train stopped right in front of me. The doors opened and people started getting in and out of the train. I quickly got in and found myself a seat. I had bought a book to read with me to pass the time.

I opened the book to start reading it when I looked at through the window. It was happening. The train was about get going any second now and I would be on my way to Fairy Tail.

With a sound the doors closed and the train started moving. In that moment I felt the world around me starting to spin. I felt my face turn green and I could feel that my stomach was turning upside down. I dropped the book in my hands on the nearby seat.

' _What the?!'_ I thought while putting a hand on my mouth, ready to vomit.

' _DON'T TELL ME I HAVE MOTION SICKNESS?!'_ I moaned in frustration, but quickly stopped not wanting my lunch to get out.

' _This is going to be a long ride…'_ I though to myself trying somehow to relax but to no avail. I couldn't even read my book...

Now the train was picking up speed. Straight towards Magnolia.

 **A/N: Well that's that. My first ever action scene. And would you look at that, Anora has motion sickness... who would have thought?**

 **Welp I personally don't know how this fares for a first action scene so please review and tell me your opinion.**

 **See ya all in the next chapter!**

 **EDIT: While i was posting the story the reviews came back. YAY! Now i can read everyone's review.**

 **Sorry** **PotAYto-PotAHto-Cat but I don't control the ninjas, I just hire them but i can make things right! *gives you a cookie***


	5. Chapter 5: Fairy Tail

**A/N: Surprise! I bet you didn't expect a new chapter this soon. Welp today is my birthday and I decided to get one more out for you guys! ^^**

 **This one was quite fun to write, but since we don't have much information on how the people from Fairy Tail acted when they were little, I only went with the information that we had, so im sorry if any of the charecters seem OCC, I tried my best not to present them as such.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter Five

Fairy Tail

I stepped out of the train, as quickly as I could and quickly found a lamp which I held for support.

"Train…pure…evil…" I mumbled as my stomach was starting to get better.

' _I always thought Natsu was exaggerating…'_ I though to myself, realizing what living with this entails.

"Oh my god, that was the worst ride ever. Never again." I said in a whisper, only which I heard. It was kinda pathetic really. I never had motion sickness in my old life, I actually quite enjoyed a nice ride.

Not long after I regained my composure and the world looked normal again and thankfully my stomach was no longer spinning as if it was trying to win a race, I looked around and I recognized the place from my memory. Magnolia's train station. I was at my destination. Now I only needed to join the guild.

Forgetting about the nightmarish past hours on that death machine, I formed a smile and asked a nearby elderly woman for directions. Once she told me where to go to find the guild, I thanked her and was off to my course.

Right now I was walking near a river. The place looked familiar somehow. And then as if a light bulb shined atop my head.

' _This is where Lucy is going to be living in the future.'_ I gave the place a once over as realization hit me.

Not far away was a building, which symbol I could never forget. Fairy Tail's emblem. I was this close to it. After five minutes I was standing in front of the guild's giant doors.

' _I'm finally hear! Ok. Chill. This is going to go smoothly. Don't fangirl in there. No one knows that I know all about their lives and I must keep it that way… That's kinda creepy now that I think about it…'_

' _Ok. No turning back.'_

I opened the giant doors with my hands and I entered the building. There were all sort of people sitting around, drinking or fighting. It took every ounce of my determination not to squeel.

' _Typical.'_ I grinned as the though crossed my mind.

Just like that, in an instant, everyone's eyes were upon my form. I smiled nervously under all that attention and started walking forward. As I looked around, with my strong hearing, I could hear a few words that were coming from the people around me.

"…Is she lost?"

"…Nah I think we got another Erza…"

"…She looks like…"

I continued onward with confidence until I heard an old voice behind me.

"Hello young miss, how may we help you." I turned around to see an old man that was really small. He had dark eyes. He wore a white shirt with a black Fairy Tail emblem on it. On top of it he wore an orange jacket with a suitable orange and blue hat in stripes that ended with two long, ear-like cones.

Pretending not to know the old man I asked him.

"Are you the master of this guild?" I put on a bright smile, as big as I could get it. "I wish to join Fairy Tail."

"Yes, I am Master Makarov, nice to meet'cha." He said closing his eyes and holding out his right hand as a gesture. "So in what magic do you specialize?" He asked me, curiosity and business, written in his eyes.

"I'm an Arcane Dragon Slayer. I specialize in a magic that revolves around manipulating the Ethernanos in the air." I answered, enthusiastically.

He gaped at that.

"Another Dragon Slayer?" He asked, rhetorically.

' _So Natsu had already joined the guild huh?'_ The thought crossed my mind, it was very likely.

"So what is your name, child?" He asked.

"My name is Anora." I said cheerfully. He eyed me curiously for a second and then opened his mouth.

"Very well then." He hopped off to the nearby bar and got what looked like a stamp.

"What color and where do you want your guild mark to be?" He asked me, awaiting for an answer.

I though about it for a second. I never actually thought about this in my spare time so it was a spur of the moment.

"Violet. On my right shoulder." I answered, confidently. The violet will symbolize the color of my magic and the mark will be on my right shoulder while my dragon-like birthmark will be on my left. I grinned at the thought.

He put the mark on my shoulder and welcomed me officially while smiling brightly.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail. Now you are officially a part of the family. Go check around and meet up with your new guild mates. If you need a place to stay, we have a female dormitory not far away."

"Thanks." I grinned ear to ear. After that he went to do his work and I started looking around. A girl a bit smaller than me, wearing an orange square dress walked up to me. She had brown hair which ended in a pony tail, just like mine and big, dark eyes.

"Um... hi, welcome to the guild." She said, extending a hand.

I took it and shook it.

"Thanks. My name is Anora." I said, grinning ear to ear and closing my eyes in the process.

"I'm Cana." The girl said politely.

' _WAIT! This sweet little innocent girl that didn't even seem remotely possible to handle_ _alcohol was Cana!?'_ My eyes widened to her say and she noticed, so I had to do something.

"Uhm… nice to meet you." I said nervously, trying to hide my screw up.

She eyed me funny for a few moment but then decided to go along with it. Thank the lord.

"Do you want me to show you to the others?" She broke the awkward silence between us.

"Sure. Lead the way." I prompted her.

I walked behind her as she was walking towards a small table at the end of the room. Past a few people you could clearly see two boys fighting in what seem to be a cloud of dust from which only fists and legs, flying around were seen. Strange. On a small chair a girl clad in armor, with scarlet hair, was eating what seemed to be a strawberry cake. I smirked at the view. I could never mistake that form. It was Erza.

Just as we neared them. From the cloud of dust, that was around the fighting duo, who seemed to be Natsu and Gray, a kick went into the direction of Erza's cake, knocking it on the ground…

"Oh no…" Was all I could hear from the girl near me. "They kicked Erza's cake…" She said in a whisper with a pang of fear in her tone.

Erza looked at the ground, where the cake lay waste. The guild seemed to fall silent, only the cloud of smoke never stopping from the fighting of the two boys. Erza formed a fist in her hand while her scarlet hair shadowed her eyes. In an instant she started glaring daggers at the cloud of dust. MURDER screaming in her eyes. I always thought people were just playing silly when they said Erza's glares could kill a person and that's why everyone feared her but standing near it, so close, I must say,even dad would probably be intimidated by the little girl…

Suddenly a sword was formed in her right arm.

"MY BREAKFAST WILL BE AVENGED!" Was all I heard before the form of the scarlet haired girl was in the midst of the battle of the two boys.

Not long after, they were both knocked out cold while she calmly walked back to her seat, patting her palms in one another as to clear the 'dirt'.

"One strawberry cake please." She said to the bartender.

I just stood there. Totally not freaked out. No sir ye.

Cana gave a quick glance at my horrified face and she gave me a knowing look.

"Erza can be a bit scary sometimes but she is really nice." She said to reassure me. "Just don't mess with her cake and you won't lose any limbs." She added and I swallowed a lump.

We neared her and Cana called out to her.

"Hey Erza!"

She turned around to meet us.

"Hey, Cana." She said politely. "Who is this?"

"This is Anora." Cana introduced me. "She just joined our guild!" She added excitedly.

"Nice to meet you, Anora. My name is Erza, as you probably already know." She said, sweetly.

I extended my arm in a friendly gesture and she accepted and shook it.

"I'm sure that we are going to become great friends." I grinned at my comment, meaning every word.

"I would be glad to have you as a friend and comrade." She added.

From behind us, moaning was heard, that took our attention. The now clearly visible boys were starting to wake up from their K.O.s . One had spiky pink hair and onyx eyes. He was wearing a white scarf with a red T-shirt and orange shorts. The other was shirtless at the time, to my non-surprise, wearing only blue shorts. He had dark spiky hair and dark blue eyes. These of course were Natsu and Gray.

They looked confused and started looking around, but when they met Erza's glare, they both froze. I just giggled catching all of their attention.

"Hey, you are new." Gray commented.

"Yeah, I just joined the guild. My name is Anora, nice to meet you." I said politely.

"I'm Gray." He said proudly as if he was the greatest around. "And I'm Natsu." The pink haired boy peaked up from behind him. Before we could finish our pleasantries, Erza stepped closer to them.

"IF YOU EVER MESS WITH MY CAKE AGAIN I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, GOT IT." The boys trembled, hugging each other.

"Yes, ma'am." They both said in unison. I couldn't help but giggle at their antics. Suddenly our attention was once again stolen from the scene. This time, from the Master, that was currently standing on the second floor.

"Everyone." He said to get everyone's attention.

"This is Anora, our newest recruit." He said, pointing at me. "She is now part of our ever growing family and I want you to treat her as such. She is an Arcane Dragon Slayer just like Natsu is a Dragon Slayer." He finished introducing me and a cheer boomed from every corner of the guild. Everyone congratulated me and they all went to celebrate with drinking and having fun.

At the last sentence, Natsu was looking at me with wide eyes. In an instant he was near me.

"Is that true? Are you really a Dragon Slayer!?" He asked hurriedly. I winced at the lack of personal space as his head was inches away from mine.

"Ugh… I… yeah." I answered uncomfortably. At that point Erza grabbed him by the scarf and pulled him away from me and with force, slammed him on the ground.

"Natsu! Give her some personal space." She scolded him. "Sorry." He mumbled in answer, pouting.

"It's ok." I said. "Yeah, I am a Dragon Slayer. I was raised by a dragon. His name was Inoreth." I answered, knowing full well that that's what the boy wanted to know. Everyone eyed me funnily.

Natsu, in particular, was dead set to ask me more questions though, not being stopped even by Erza's grip. He stepped closer but not as much as last time.

"Do you know Igneel?" He asked with hope in his eyes. My heart wavered for a second. Of course I knew him and I knew what had happened to him, but I couldn't just tell him because it would change potentially everything. So with a heavy heart I lied through my teeth.

"Sorry, I don't know him. Can you tell me how he looks, maybe I've seen him."

"Well, he is a big, red scaled, fire breathing dragon. He is my dad!" He answered excitedly, but I could see that the hope in his eyes was slowly dying and I was the cause of that.

"Sorry, I haven't seen him." I said lowering my head. "So you are a Dragon Slayer as well?" I asked to play along the scene I was making.

"Oh…" Was all that came from him. "Yeah I'm a Dragon Slayer as well." He said, the excitement in his voice, null and void already.

"Well, what happened with your dragon?" He asked, curiously.

"He disappeared on the 7th of July." I told him.

His eyes widened. "Wait, yours too?" He asked, confused and I just nodded. Seeing as this topic was giving no answers and was just picking on old wounds, Erza quickly changed the topic.

"So, Anora what can you do exactly with your powers." Glad at the change of topic, I quickly lifted my arm to show a blue and purple light, dancing on my palm, between my fingers.

"I can manipulate the Ethernanos in the air to conjure ethereal objects or powerful arcane abilities." They looked at me excitedly.

"So... what can you guys do?" I asked, even though i already knew the answer.

"I can reequip my armor at will." Erza said with a smile. "I can wield Ice-make magic." Gray joined in the conversation, creating a small Fairy Tail symbol made out of ice in his hands. I looked at it in amazement. It was truly beautiful. "I can use card magic." Cana added from the side. "If you wish to know your fortune for the day, just call me."

"And I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer." Said Natsu, with a huge toothy grin, holding a fist in front of his face and lighting it on fire.

"Nice!" I gave him a toothy grin as well.

"Yeah, like those small flames can do any damage..." Gray teased.

"They did a number on you Ice Princess." Natsu snarled.

"Is that so? Whant to try again pinkie?" Gray readied his fists.

"You're on Ice Popsicle!" Natsu also readied himself.

I was just watching from the side and a anime sweatdrop formed on my forehead. _'They really do just go out to fight like that.'_

"ENOUGH!" Boomed Erza's voice.I thought I told you too not to fight in here? This guild hall is like our home. It's not for fighting. More so, Anora just joined the guild and we shall not be greeting her with petty fights and disrespectful demeanors, am I clear?" She asked, ok more like ordered with one of those looks that said _Just try and talk back to me, I dare you_. "Also, Gray put on some cloths."

 _YAAAAK._ Gray squealed and quickly went to put on some clothes.

Cana just facepalmed.

"Sorry." The boys said at once looking at Erza with terrified eyes, trembling. But I swore I heard them both say in unison "Meanie..." and I just smiled at them lightly.

"Don't worry Erza." I took ahold of her shoulder. "It's fine, really. I already love this place." I said, grinning from ear to ear and closing my eyes. That was becoming a habit of mine. At my words Erza relaxed and her eyes softened.

"You are gonna fit right in." Cana said, smiling beside me. "If you can keep up with Gray and Natsu without being annoyed then you can live relatively peacefully here." She added with a playful smirk.

"Hey!" They both announced and then looked at each other, then they turned away from each other and pouted because they were imitating each other. I just laughed at the scene. They looked at me with like the children they are, amused that they made me laugh and we conversed from then onward.

For the rest of the day, I got to know these, past fictional now real, characters, no people, even more. They were actually quite the people to be around. It was highly entertaining and fun. Before the end of the day, they showed me around the whole guild and we quickly became friends.

"Do you have anywhere to stay for the night?" Erza asked me curiously.

"I though of renting one of the houses near the river." I said playing with my fingers.

Erza narrowed an eye. "Didn't the master tell you that there was a female dormitory? You can stay there if you want."

"I know, he told me… I just like some privacy, that's all." I said nervously.

"Well if your sure…" She said with an ' _ok then…'_ tone. I was eleven after all. They were probably thinking how was I ever going to live by myself. Little did they know that I've got lots of experience with that.

Everyone left for their homes. Erza went to Fairy Hill, while I found out that Natsu had somehow bought a whole house at the end of town. I didn't quite get where Gray lived and Cana decided to come with me to rent a place to sleep for the night before she herself went to Fairy Hills.

We were currently walking near the river. I had my eyes on a house that was near Lucy's future home with the sign "For Rent" near it.

"So, you got your eyes on a house to stay?" Cana asked.

"Yeah, I think that one will do nicely." I answered, pointing towards the house that I had chosen.

"You sure you can deal with living alone out here?" She asked, concerned. "You can stay with one of us for the night?" She suggested.

"Nah, I'm sure. I have to have my own place after all and enjoy my privacy." I said.

"Well if you're sure, I guess…" She answered, doubting me. Welp we were both little, after all, and it was strange for a child to live on her own so I guess it was justified.

It was currently around eight o'clock and it was getting dark. We reached the front door and rang the bell.

An old man opened the door and looked at us.

"What do you want, children?" The man asked politely.

"I'm here to rent the house, sir." He looked at me, shocked.

"By yourself?" He asked and I confirmed.

"The rent is 75,000 jewel a month." He said, now talking business as he saw that I was not kidding.

"Very well. When is the first pay?" I asked curious.

"In one week." He answered, politely.

"Very well, can I look around the house first"?

"Of course." He welcomed us in. The building was two storied. He pointed to a door that was downstairs.

"This is where I live." He said. "Up there is your house." He beckoned us to go see it.

As I entered I saw a room not too different from Lucy's room in the anime. There was a bed next to the window, sitting in the corner of the room, there was a desk and a wardrobe. There were two other doors. One led to the kitchen which was equipped with everything that one kitchen needs and the other led to the bathroom which had one small but cosy looking bathtub and a toilet.

"I'll take it!" I told the man, who was waiting for us at the door. "What do you think Cana?"

"It's a nice place." She said.

"Ok, pops, I'm going to pay right now, so my payment will be due next month at this time right?"

"Please, just call me Richard." The man added. "And yes, that would mean that you will have to pay due next month at this time."

I opened my bag and got 75.000 jewel to pay the man, who then left us and went downstairs with a quick 'see ya' .

"Well, I guess you are all good for tonight?" Cana asked.

"Yep, thanks for coming with me, again, Cana." I thanked her.

"No worries. That's what friends are for." She smiled, before she said her goodbyes and left for Fairy Hills.

I looked around the small cosy room. My room. My house. And sighed with delight. I took a quick bath to refresh myself and plopped on the bed.

It was nine o'clock now and I didn't feel like sleeping. So I went to the desk and placed the diary that I bought on it. It was a purplish color and at the front it had a place where you could write the name of the diary.

I though a bit about it before writing 'Memories of Old and New.'

' _Yeah that about sums it up.'_ I though to myself.

The diary was split into two parts, down the middle, that's why I took it, because it was perfect for what I wanted it for.

At the beginning of the first part I wrote 'Secrets of Old'.

And at the beginning of the second part I wrote 'Of Present and Future'.

I though that was good for a quick description of what it's to be awaited.

I started filling the second part first. Trying to recollect all of my memories. The most vivid ones were for when Natsu meets Lucy, then the Ocarina Seis, The world of Edolas, oh the Fairy Tail fight right before that. Obviously I was missing some things but I couldn't remember at the time.

After an hour of filling in what I remembered from my old life about the anime I started writing in the first part.

I wrote down everything that I remembered from my old life and the old times from my new life. I wrote in great detail my days with Inoreth, because of my both lives these were the fondest memories of my creation. I was really happy at these days. I didn't even feel the tear that was dripping from my cheek until it fell on the opened book. I realized that I was crying and I stopped. Dwelling on the past was not going to change it. I sighed mentally.

I was writing for two and a half hours. I wrote almost everything that I remembered. Of course there was big chunk that was missing but I would get to that some other day.

On the 'Of Present and Future' part I left some space for the adventures I was about to have. I had taken a note from Lucy and from now on I would write everything in here as to not forget.

But what if someone was to read it, I thought.

' _Hmmm… I can't just hide it, some of my friends from Fairy Tail are bound to stumble upon it and even if they were to respect my privacy, no one could resist opening such a thing with such a name.'_ I thought with two fingers on my chin, stroking my almighty, invisible beard.

' _Oh I know! I'll bind it with the sealing spell dad taught me!'_ I thought with excitement.

"Well here goes nothing, I never was actually able to do it but let's see how it goes." I said to no one in particular.

" **Arcane Dragon Seal. With magic power such as thee, open to no one who isn't worthy!"** I yelled the incantation that dad taught me, reciting the words as I remember them and pointing my right hand towards the violet book.

Suddenly a light formed around my hand painted in purple, blue and white colors and then a magical circle with a dragon's head in the middle with the same color as the light in my hand, formed underneath the book as it started to glow and float in the air.

In the blink of an eye, ethereal chains engulfed the book from every corner and squeezed it shut. Unabled to be opened, unless a powerful concentration of magic isn't directly pointed towards it.

' _It worked! It actually worked!'_ I started bouncing around happily.

"Well, the spell isn't strong enough to withstand an attack from anyone from the guild, but at the very least it will warn people that it's very private if I've gone to such lengths to seal it with magic. If it was hit with magic it wouldn't break. The seal will break in it's stead.

"Yeah… that should work… I hope." I mumbled underneath my breath. "I should still hide it though." I continued mumbling to myself. So i hid the book in the desk's drawer. Yeah I know... How original.

It was night already and I was feeling really tired for writing for so long and that sealing spell isn't something to be casted lightly, so I plopped on my bed, changing in my T-shirt before doing that.

' _I finally did it. I'm apart of Fairy Tail. I can hardly believe it. Haha, if someone from my old life had told me what kind of a person I would have been in this life I would have laughed at them and yet… look at me now.'_ I couldn't help but smile at my though.

' _I've changed so much. At the age of eleven I am more confident than I ever was in my past life and I'm even kind of acting like a badass at times.'_ I suppressed a giggle at that.

I lay on my back in the bed. The sheets covering my body. Still wondering how I ended up here and how did these past eleven years go by so fast.

I sighed from time to time.

' _I really am a dirty, old philosopher under the shower and in the bed.'_ I laughed at my own mockery.

' _I'm looking forward to this life…'_ Was my last thought, before I drifted off to sleep.

It was one of those nights that I slept soundly, without any nightmares or reminders of the past. I slept like a log throughout the whole night in anticipation for the next day.

Because I had finally achieved my goal. My path was filled with endless adventure and a huge, loving family in the form of a guild. Everyone was so nice today, even more so than I remember them from the anime…

I was finally home… I was in Fairy Tail.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter that is setting the stage for the main events.**

 **We finally reached our beloved guild and now let us see how the characters will interact with each other throughout the years.**

 **As always, I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6: With Swords and Pens

**A/N: Hi everybody! The streak continues! I know what you are thinking right now. Another chapter? Already!? YUS! Will this rate of updating continue? Probably not. I will be back to two or three day updates as before, after this chapter. I just felt hyperactive for a few days.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter Six

With Swords and Pens

Living with the guild was the best thing that ever happened to me! In such a short time I became great friends with everyone but I mainly hanged out with Cana, Gray, Erza and Natsu. For one, we were all children and they were actually pretty cool. Together they were a hilarious group and I found myself laughing regularly around them.

A year after I joined the guild. In the year X778, two girls and one boy joined the guild. These were non other than Mirajane, Lisanna and Elfman. At first they were insecure, because they thought that their magic, which was takeover, was actually a curse and that the demons that Mira could turn into would control her. The master actually taught her that there was nothing to be afraid of and that she will succeed. At the time she was the only one with that power from the three children.

One day though, she left without warning. I guess she thought that she wasn't going to be able to control it, but Lisanna and Elfman stopped her, showing her that they too could use takeover and that she was not alone.

After she got used to the guild though Mira turned into a whole different person. Like holy hell different. Dresses? Manners? NOPE! Out the window. The name she-devil was not misplaced here. And since I only remember a few times from the anime where it is said that Mira was actually pretty rough, I never expected this… It was kinda shocking. Since I've only seen her from the anime it was a real change of scenery.

The demon that became an angel after a tragedy…

Of course I knew what would happen to Lisanna, but I couldn't tell them, fearing that I would change the future drastically. So I kept my mouth shut about the matter.

Not long after them, a small bluenette joined the guild. That was, of course, Levi. She was really quiet in the beginning and very shy as well. But once she opened up to us she felt much more comfortable.

Not to say that we were a weird little group. We had a bit of friendly rivalry going on around. Mira and Erza were going to outright murder each other, every time they saw each other. Natsu and Gray would constantly argue and go in fights. Me and Levi for the life of us could not defeat Cana in some stupid game that I never really got the hang of. She was cheating ok? Yeah she was, I'm sure of it… Ain't no one that can defeat us ninety nine times in a row… Now that I think of it, Lisanna and Elfman were the only sane ones in our group. It was weird that Elfman was not comparing everything to being a man.

We had many great times together. We didn't go out on jobs thought. They said that we should practice at the guild first. I thought that that would be hard since I had rent to pay, but the master told us that until we reach twelve years that we are forbidden to go on jobs. I don't know why exactly twelve but I guess it was policy. When I asked him how to get money for rent if I'm not allowed to go on jobs, he reassured me that the guild would take care of our money problems. Richard was a nice guy as well so he didn't press me for money every time it was getting close to pay day.

The old many really did care for everyone deeply. But I still didn't like living on someone else's back so thank god I was able to go on missions now. I had reached twelve years.

Well, if we didn't go on jobs what were we doing all day then ? We had fun with each other, sometimes practicing, sometimes telling stories to each other or sometimes just discussing a random event that happened.

* * *

But this one time, something far more interesting happened. It was a few weeks after Natsu's birthday. Levi was yet not apart of the guild. He said he was going to go on a mission. He grabbed one flayer that wanted some creature dead or something, I couldn't see it. Right when he was going to go out the guild though…

Lisanna was waving at Natsu excitedly.

"Bye! Come back soon." She said lightly.

"Where are you going?" Asked Mira besides her with her hands on her hips.

Natsu grinned from ear to ear and closed his eyes, holding up a flayer to the level of his head.

"Ha! I've got my first real magic job!" He exclaimed with excitement.

"Did you even bother to read the whole flayer first?" Asked Mira crossing her hands.

Natsu got annoyed and frustrated a bit and looked down and the flayer turning his back on Mira.

"Well yeah, it says: "Please get rid of this thingy, that's somewhere doing something to someone."" With every word more sweat was forming on his head until he turned with a big grin. ""For a fifty thousand jewel."" He exclaimed.

"It doesn't say that!" Mira boomed.

"Lay off, ok?" Natsu said, irritated by Mira.

Mira crossed her hands and turned her back on him.

"Are you seriously telling me that you are so stupid, all you were able to read from that flayer was the reward?" Mira asked like a bully. Well at this point of time she kinda was. Lissana gasped at her sister's words.

"Be nice, Mira!" Lisanna demanded.

Mira turned towards Natsu, putting her index finger of her left hand dramatically on her lips.

"I can read! Igneel taught me how to read and write when I was little." The boy said, shaking. "It's just that nothing on this stupid flayer makes any sense to me." Natsu said, looking down, his hair shadowing his eyes. I was sitting on a nearby table with Gray and Cana. With my heightened senses I could smell a bit of salt and I knew that Natsu was on the brink of tears. He then, turned his back to the sisters, probably to hide his face.

"Aw, it's ok." Lisanna tried to calm him down with a gentle voice.

"I know the names of all kinds of different foods." Natsu ignored her, speaking as if to reassure himself. "Hamburgers, spaghetti, rice bowls, cake and cookies, dough and soup… and I know… uh…oh man this sucks. I swear I know more than just food names. I'm serious you guys. Igneel taught me how to read" He said, holding the flayer with two hands, trembling. Now the whole guild had his eyes on him. Master was sitting soundly on the bar with crossed legs and closed eyes. He might not look like it but he cared more than he showed.

"He… really did…he taught me to read lot's of stuff." Natsu continued, shaking like a leaf and everyone watched as he was on the brink of tears. I on the other hand had enough of that. Even though Mira is a friend I can't allow her to bully Natsu like that. I stood up and went to them.

"Oh, you're so cute, please don't cry." Mira said with a playful smirk while Lissana told her to not be creepy.

"I'm not crying!" He shouted.

"Come on Mira, stop teasing him." I said standing between him and Mira. She just let out an annoyed _Hmp_ out of he mouth.

At that moment Erza came in.

"All of you need to calm down!" She said.

Mira just turned her back on us with a scoff.

"There is no need to be embarrassed, I'm sure Igneel did his best, but it's hard to learn to read and write because there are an awful lot of words." Erza exclaimed.

"Know it all." Natsu said with a pout.

I turned towards him. "Erza is right, Natsu, listen to her." He just crossed his hands.

"You just have to be patient and study hard and I could teach you, if you'd like." Erza said with a playful smile.

"No way!" Natsu beamed. "Sorry but you are way too scary!" He couldn't even finish his sentence before Erza grabbed him by his pink hair and started pulling him towards the door.

"I don't understand what's so scary about a vocabulary lesson." Erza said, dragging him on the ground and Natsu just screamed behind her. A sweatdrop formed on my forehead while Mira laughed while holding her stomach.

"You gotta help me." The boy pleaded while he was being dragged around.

"It'll be fine. I know you'll do good!" Lisanna cheered.

"That's what he gets for being such a dummy." Gray commentated from his seat. Just a second later a bag flew to his face and not long after Natsu and Gray were head to head arguing as always.

Erza separated them and looked with a kind of look that whispered _Defy me and you die!_

The sweatdrop that was forming on my head grew 's Erza for you…

"Give me three days." She said grabbing him again and dragging him out the entrance of the guild.

Everyone then returned to what they were doing before. I turned to Mira who was still laughing.

"That was a bit mean from you Mira, don't you think? It's one thing to tease him but to play on his memories is just playing cruel." I said with a stern look.

"Yeah Mira, that was mean." Lisanna backed me up.

Mira just pouted. "It's his fault that he is such a dummy." She answered, looking away from us.

I just sighed at the she-devil. This was a lost cause. So I just exited the guild and followed Erza.

"Hey wait up!" I yelled from behind them. Erza turned, holding Natsu by the ear.

"What?" She inquired.

"I'm going to help!" I gave her a grin, more of a pleading one than a genuine one. Honestly I thought that she was a good teacher but I didn't think that Natsu would survive by the end of the third day…

Ya see… When I joined the guild I wanted to learn more about the country and what not. Guess who was my teacher… I can still feel the sword up my neck… and I still shiver when I think about that day.

Erza gave me a once over. "Very well." She said. "The more the merrier." She gave me a sign to follow and proceeded to drag Natsu behind her. I was walking near him and I just gave him a look that was saying _Sorry._

She led us to a nearby forest. She set up a table a chair and a board on which to show him different stuff. Out of nowhere she brought a ton of paperwork and the boy just looked at me with a face that was screaming _Help me!_

I suppressed a giggle. I knew what it was to be in that chair… I shuddered at the thought.

"Think of me and Anora as Igneel number two." She said, confidently.

"In just three days we will handle all the vocabulary you need to become an effective Fairy Tail member into your thick skull." She then pulled out a sword and held it's handle with one hand while putting the point of the blade in her other hand, striking a fearful pose. I could've sworn that her eyes and mouth shined devilish red as if she was a demon for a moment. "And you will not eat, drink or sleep until you've mastered them!" She said with a commanding voice.

"Alright, fine! You win! Teach me this stupid stuff already." He said holding a fist in front of his head.

Erza smiled. I gotta admit. He impressed me there and then. He is as stubborn as Erza if not more.

So for the next three days we taught him everything that was needed to be known. Erza didn't go back on her word that he will not eat, drink or sleep while he hasn't mastered them. That's where I came in. Me and Erza were taking turns from the second day. It was my idea so that when it was my turn I went easy on Natsu and let him relax for a while. It also helped having night shifts…

The thing that surprised me was that at one point during the second day. When it was my turn, he looked at me.

"Thanks for being so nice Anora, but I really need to learn this stuff so don't go that easy on me. Don't tell Erza but she is really helping me here." He said with a grin.

I was shocked to say the least, but I then formed a mischievous smile. He really was as stubborn as her.

' _Hehe, Natsu Dragneel. If you think Erza is rough as a teacher, you haven't seen me in action. What am I trying to say here? Those were your famous last words…'_ I sent him a polite smile as my thought ended. That smile hid so many things though…

"Very well then. If you wish me to teach you properly and not hold back on you then you better prepare. You've been warned." He just looked at me confused. When I was little I had a teacher that I do believe was an actual demon. Thank the lord, I already had experience from my old life and I picked up everything fast. But for the short time that I was with that teacher, I learned a few methods of how to put something in someone's mind.

At the end of my session Erza was coming back to the scene when she was met with Natsu who held to her legs for dear life.

"Oh thank god you're back!" He said tightening his grip around her legs. She was shocked and looked towards me searching for answers.

I just closed my eyes and smiled innocently at her, tilting my head in the process.

"Natsu learned a lot of things while you were gone Erza. He learned them the hard way..." I said with a playful smirk. "Welp, I'm gonna come for the next shift soon. See ya." I said, passing them by like nothing happened and she just looked at me, then at Natsu and then back at me, shock in her eyes.

I couldn't help but giggle when I heard Natsu with my heightened hearing. "Erza can we go back to having no shifts?!".

I only tormented him once. Afterwards Erza and I taught him together and I was back in my role of making it easy for him at times. By the time we were through with him, he had learned how to read, write and do math.

Let me tell ya, he was really proud when we finished. A few days later I remember hearing him talking to Gray to watch out and not anger me. I thought that was the most funny thing in ages. Natsu had a fearful respect of me. Look at that I'm the next Mira.

After he was able to read, he picked himself a new job.

"This one looks good for a beginning." He said excitedly.

"Hey, Anora, you wanna come?" He looked at me with a grin. I was currently seated with Gray and Cana.

"Sure." I answered. "What's does it say?"

"A nearby village has a problem with a pack of dire wolves and they need someone to clear them out for them." He answered.

"M'okey then. Let's go." I agreed.

We went on the mission together. His first one. There was a rule that your first mission must be with someone who has experience and since I had already had a few missions of my own, I guess he thought I would be nice company.

We dispatched the wolves that were pestering the villagers and we split the reward fifty-fifty. We both got 15.000 jewel. It really was a nice first mission. Not too hard and with a nice reward.

We were currently on our way back. We decided to walk to and back, because we both had a rational fear of trains at this point.

We were walking in silence when he broke it.

"Thanks." He said.

I looked up at him.

"For what?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"For teaching me with Erza. And thanks for… for being so nice." I smiled at him.

"Where did you learn to read and write so well though." He asked, looking at me with curious eyes.

"Before Inoreth took me in I lived with my old family. They taught me the basics and then dad helped me hone my skills." I answered him. That was only half the truth though. I actually knew how to do everything from the beginning of this life.

"So you remember your real parents?" He asked, expecting an answer.

"Yeah, I was from a rich family. Montesque if I remember correctly." I answered and frowned a bit. Had I really started to forget my old family's name?

"That's so cool!" He jumped a little.

"I don't really remember my real parents. Igneel took me in since I've known the world around me." He was speaking with excitement behind his voice. I always admired how Natsu cared for everyone he called friend, so dearly. But when he was talking about Igneel you could feel the respect and excitement in the air. He really loved him. And that's why I beated myself innerly each time I reminded myself that I can just tell him that his dad is right inside of him.

"Hey Natsu what was Igneel like?" I asked him, interested in what he was going to say.

"He was the best!" He said, holding two fist in the air.

"He was really fun and strong and we would always have fun together. Dad would always try to get me to be stronger, that's why I always want to fight everyone to see how strong I am!" Natsu said, grinning from ear to ear.

I smiled lightly.

"I guess all the dragons are alike. Fun and kind." I smiled at the thought, this time more of a sad smile.

He nodded at my statement with a huge grin. He kinda reminded me of Inoreth. He was always cheerful and that grin was really contagious.

When we reached Fairy Tail again it was already around six o'clock. We entered the guild and head straight for the forms that looked like Cana and Gray. Erza was fighting with Mira in the other corner of the room. They look so much like Gray and Natsu when they are arguing and yet Erza was the one that told them not to fight. I just giggled at the thought.

Cana waved at us when she laid her eyes on us and got Gray's attention.

"Hey guys! You're back!" She exclaimed.

"How did it go?" Asked Lisanna, coming out of nowhere.

"It was awesome!" Natsu yelled with a fist held up in the air.

We all sat at the table, Elfman joining us a few moments later. We told them how it went and everyone was listening and commentating from time to time. We continued to talk for the rest of the day. Soon it was time for everyone to go home and rest. Tomorrow would be another adventure after all.

I already said goodbye to Erza, Lisanna, Elfman, Mira and Gray. Cana was exiting the guild with me and we were ready to head home. I was going home to my rented house and Cana to Fairy Hills.

I suddenly stopped as I realized something was missing.

"What is it Anora?" Cana asked, seeing as I wasn't keeping pace with her.

"Oh dang. I forgot my bag." I whined.

"Do you want me to help you look for it?" She asked.

"Nah, you go. I'll be fine." I told her.

"Ok then, see ya tomorrow." She waved at me as she turned her back and walked towards Fairy Hills.

I entered back into the guild and I saw my azure bag with the dragon emblem on it on the table that we were sitting on.

"There you are!" I said to no one in particular.

As I reached to grab it I heard the Master speak from the other side of a wooden door, behind the bar. It was hard to hear even with my strong hearing but I still caught on what he was saying.

"So, how do you like the guild Natsu?" The Master asked, clearly speaking to the pink haired boy.

"I think it's great! Erza can be a bit scary and Anora can be really scary if she wanted, but everyone else is really cool!" I smirked at his comment.

"They are really cool too though. I learned a lot of new words and stuff. I wanna stay and become a member." He finished.

I smiled brightly at his comment as I grabbed my bag. I could hear the Master smile in the other room but I didn't stay to pry.

Natsu wasn't a full fledged member of Fairy Tail yet. Master Makarov told me he found him near the guild one day before I came and he invited him to stay. He mostly searched for Igneel and that's why he didn't want to stay in one place but he always ended up coming back.

' _I'm glad that he finally decided to become a member.'_ I thought with a gentle smile as I exited the building.

As I was walking towards my home I remembered when we first met, Natsu asked me why I didn't go search for Inoreth.

 **FLASHBACK**

" _Hey Anora, why don't you search for Inoreth. Didn't he disappear?" The pink haired boy asked me._

" _Yeah, he did." I said lowering my head, trying to think of what to say. "But I don't go around, looking for him, because I trust that he will come back. He never left me for too long before." I said grinning from ear to ear at him_ _and closing my eyes in the process._

 _He looked at me, baffled, for a second and then he gave me a grin of his own._

" _That's a nice thought but I'm still going to look for Igneel!" He said forming a fist in front of his head with a smile. "And I'm going to find him!"_

 _I smiled at him. "I'm sure you will." He gave me his best smile at that. He really would find Igneel, just not when he expects it._

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

I was now in front of my house. I got the key from my bag and unlocked the door. I went up the stairs and went inside my home. Once I entered the bath I took a long shower, letting myself relax. When I got out I felt like a whole new person.

I got dressed in my T-shirt for the night and went over to my desk. I took out 'Memories of Old and New' from the drawer and opened it with an incantation. I wrote down what happened today and I looked a the violet diary when I finished. It was almost completely full.

I wrote as much as I remembered about the Fairy Tail timeline in the first part and it was quite a bit actually. I never thought I would remember so many things. I just wondered how I'm going to fit in all those events.

I sighed closing the diary and putting it back in the drawer. It was already around midnight. I crawled onto my bed and engulfed myself in the sheets. I lay on my back and I thought about everything that's happening. It was a usual thing I did before going to sleep.

' _The first major even is in X784 but I don't remember the exact date.'_ I sighed.

As of right now I knew nothing of what was about to go down. The anime never really did show much of the guilds younger days. There were just bits here and there and some small events. It kinda scared me, not knowing what was going to happen but then I remembered that life is that way. I wasn't supposed to know what was going to happen in the future.

I rolled around the bed.

' _What if some major change happens because of me? What if that change is for the worst? I won't be able to live with myself if something wrong happened because of me.'_ I half yelled in my mind.

And in that night I promised to myself. I would not try and change the future too much. The world of Fairy Tail's course was nice as it is. But then an old memory panged through my head.

' _Don't make promises, that you can't keep.'_ Honestly I don't know where I had that memory from.

Would I really change the future for better or for worse? Will things go differently because now there is a third player on the board? It was bound to happen. If not major at the very least some minor tweaks in the timeline would change and that terrified me.

For now I shut my eyes closed and drifted off to sleep.

It's stupid to dwell on things that haven't even happened yet. I was going to do everything right and nothing was going to go wrong!

 **A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the sixth chapter. You are probably wondering why I did it so fast? Welp that's because this is the end of the "Growing up" arc and I felt like I needed to finish it fast. From the next chapter onward begins the adventure we know, starting with "The Lullaby" arc and going from then forward, from the viewpoint of Anora.**

 **See ya all in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Strongest Team

**A/N: New chapter! New Arc! More abilities for Anora! It's here. Let us see how our protagonist will be included in the major events in the story. Will she change it for the better or for worse.**

 **Without any further ado, enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Seven

The Strongest Team

The guild was everything I hope for in my old life. I had laughs, unique friends, adventure. A bit after me and Erza taught Natsu how to read better, the pink haired boy and Lisanna found Happy's egg in the forest and they brought it in the guild. Not long after it hatched and Happy was born. He really was a blue fur ball of energy, let me tell ya. He and Natsu became best friends right there and then.

That same year Laxus became an S-Rank wizard. After that he kind of changed. He saw every non S-Rank wizard as less than him. I don't quite remember his story from my old life so I just avoided him. I know it was a douchy thing to do but I really didn't want to put up with his antics.

Two years after that, Erza became an S-class wizard. She was the youngest person to ever get through the S-class trials. Of course no one was impressed, we were talking about Erza here… In time she got so popular and the people gave her the nickname Titania.

The next year, after Erza's rank up, Mira was the one who took the trials and passed. She worked really hard to get it because she was really annoyed by the fact that Erza got to S rank before her. It was hilarious. The looks that Mira gave the red haired girl when she came back from the trials had us all laughing on the ground.

The year after that was no cause for laughter though. Since Mira was in S class now she could take S-rank missions. One day she took one that needed a monster defeated. She wanted Lisanna and Elfman to come with her and help her. I still remember seeing Natsu wave off to Lisanna under the tree. Of course I knew what would happen but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't feel like going to the guild that day and I just stayed at home and told everyone I wasn't feeling well.

Only two people returned from the S-class mission… Mira and Elfman.

They created a grave without a body. Mira and Elfman were never the same after that. They told us what happened after a few days. Elfamn stopped using his full power after that and Mira became so never used her power again. She stopped dressing so vulgar and started working behind the bar. She started acting cheerfully and always had a smile but everyone knew the pain that she kept behind it.

Natsu was also quiet for a few days after that. He didn't go on missions and wasn't very cheerful. Who could blame him… Everyone knew how close he and Lisanna were. We tried to cheer him, even Gray didn't pester him, but he told us he would be fine, that he just needed some time.

I felt really bad for everyone. I even cried a bit in my home, away from prying eyes. I built a reputation as a strong person in the guild. One that would laugh and not dwell on the past. But whenever I was alone I would always think about the past and what I really lost. How I felt and now I was the reason for Mira and Elfman to feel the same way I felt so many times. To know I could have prevented this… I couldn't hold the tears when I was at home. The only thing that kept me going was that Lisanna was not really dead. It would just take a long for her to come back…

After these events a guy named Mystogan became an S-rank wizard. I didn't even know we had him in the guild until Master Makarov said his name. Of course I knew his true identity but I never showed I had the knowledge, just like I did with everyone. It was hard at first but as I continued to pretend I didn't know anyone, lying became easy. I was not proud of that fact.

The only thing that I was proud of the time was that I was actually quite good with magic. My magic had become very potent. I didn't fret from a challenge and I would take tough jobs as well. So in the year X783, when I was seventeen, Master spoke my name for the trials of becoming an S-rank wizard. I was shocked to say the least. Me? An S-class? Sure I had learned a few new tricks on my own and I even found some new special abilities for me only, but that was it. I guess not, because I passed! I was an S-class wizard. I can't really tell the details for the trials because that's forbidden. When I came back we had a huge party. Everyone cheered me on and Erza gave me a pat on the shoulder with a well deserved 'congratulations.' The only downside was that Natsu didn't stop pestering me to fight him after that. I agreed once and kicked his butt. He found out that I can be just as scary as Erza when I wanted. Well, he knew back from our teacher to student moments that I could be even scarier.

* * *

Currently it's the year X784 and I'm eighteen years old. Time did pass quite fast. And I was very aware that the timeline I knew was beginning. How did I know? For one it was the year X784. Two, at the moment I was sharing a bedroom with Erza in a hotel, on our way back from a mission. The little hint I got was the big horn that the villagers decorated for us as a gift for stopping the monster, the horn belonged to. For a big monster it wasn't that tough really. I guess the quote from my old life 'the bigger they are the harder they fall' was true.

It's midnight right now and Erza is already sleeping and I'm just staying up reading these moments off my diary. It had gotten quite big through the years. I didn't know it was enchanted so it can never be finished. It always added pages to itself when it was over. It was quite convenient.

I sighed at the fond memories. I knew that when we get back to the guild the hectic timeline begins. I remember the start of the anime how Erza is introduced. With the big horn that was currently sitting the middle of the room.

I sighed and put my violet diary in my azure bad and drifted off to sleep. Something told me tomorrow is going to be one heck of a day.

The next day we were off to Fairy Tail. Erza with her cart of luggage. You know… I was always thinking 'man that's probably not that much luggage' when I was watching it form the other side of the screen. But in real life that thing was full of crap that I don't even know how she put in there.

At the moment we were a few minutes away from the guild. I was in my beloved dress which had now grown in size just as i had. It was something like Natsu's waistcoat but with long, loose sleeves and blue, purple and white colors. We were just nearing the guild when I heard with my dragon hearing a yell from the guild doors after a big bang.

"I've got bad news! It's Erza and Anora! They are on their way back here" Loki yelled with a voice devoid of breath. The follow up form the guild was screams of terror.

I couldn't hold back the giggle that was trying to escape so hard.

"They know we are coming right?" Erza asked me, seeing as I giggled for no reason.

"Yep." I said, giving her a big toothy smile. In the years my teeth became even sharper.

 _HMP_

Was all that came from Erza. We had left the luggage at our places before coming so at the moment Erza was only dragging the horn along with us. Did I mention it was bigger than her and she was holding it above her head with one hand ?

We entered the guild. It was a complete silence. I almost laughed out loud. In the years we grew up everyone learned to respect Erza… fearfully. While I had the reputation of making everyone life's easier so that what I always tried to calm Erza down.

"We have returned." Erza announced confidently, placing the huge horn in the middle of the guild making a mini earthquake. "Where is Master Makarov?" She asked the guild.

I instantly noticed that Lucy had already joined the guild and was currently dressed in a red T-shirt. I smiled lightly at that. This ment that Natsu had taken her on her first adventure together and they were already a team.

"Welcome back girls." Mira said ,cheerfully. "The Master is at a conference right now." She continued.

"I see…" Erza commented.

"So uhm… what's that humongous thing you got there?" Max asked with a sweat drop on his head.

"It's the horn of a monster we defeated. The locals were so thankful, they decorated it and gave it to us as a souvenir." Erza said with her hands on her hips, then she turned to face Max. "Do you have a problem with it?"

Of course Max and the guy next to him started blabbering about the fact that hey have no problem with it, doing so while trembling in fear. Not impressed.

After that Erza started scolding everyone as usual and a sweat drop formed on my head while I listened next to her.

"Come on Erza don't be so harsh on everyone." I tried to calm her down with a huge smile.

I heard a bit of Lucy's comments about us with my hearing, while she was talking to Mira. I only got some lines as '… Erza's still saner than most…' and 'Well… at least that girl there looks normal.' Welp that's all I heard before I picked up Mira telling her not to speak about us because I had sharp hearing at which Lucy yelped quietly and looked at me and I just winked at her.

"Are Natsu and Gray here?" Asked Erza. Seeing them hug each other I almost fell to the ground laughing. Haven't seen them do that in a while.

Sweat pouring through them like waterfalls, Gray answered. "Oh… hey there Erza. Just hanging out like good friends tend to do…"

"Aye!" Natsu confirmed, while Lucy was dumbfounded and asked why the pink haired boy was acting like Happy.

"That's great. I'm quite pleased to see the two of you getting along so well." She said with crossed hands. Then she turned to them with a playful smirk. "However, it's only natural for even the best of friends to lock horns every now and again."

Sweat was now coming faster than the Niagara falls from the two.

"I don't know if we are the best of friends." Gray had the courage to speak. "Aye!" Natsu confirmed in fear.

"What's gotten into Natsu?" Lucy asked, shock in her eyes.

"He's scared." Mira explained behind them.

"A few years back he challenged Erza to a fight and she beat him up real bad. Then last year he challenged Anora and she beat him up too."

"HUH!?" Lucy yelped.

Then Mira went on to tell her, everyone we've beaten in the past and Lucy just stared at us in shock and awe.

"Natsu. Gray. We need you to do us a favour." I crossed my hands at Erza's words. It was time for serious talk. The boys got the memo and they started listening too.

She told them that we heard some rumors and we needed help and since they are two of the strongest wizards in the guild we need their help exactly. Everyone started whispering between each other that we actually acknowledged them as two of the strongest wizards.

"We'll meet at the train station tomorrow morning."

"Erza, Anora, Gray and Natsu? Working together? I never saw that one coming." Said Mira in the background with her hand on her chin. "This could be…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "…The most powerful team, Fairy Tail has ever seen." And with that everything was set. After the explanation Erza left for Fairy Hills telling us she wanted some rest before tomorrow while I went to talk to the two boys who looked ready to kill each other. Of course the barrage of insults started right away.

"Come on guys, knock it off. It's only one job." I tried to stop their fighting, even though I was always amused by it.

"I can't work with the Ice Princess here!" Natsu said.

"Yeah same goes for me, I can't go with Flame Breath over there." Gray countered. Both looking the other way of each other, corssing their arms.

I sighed. Time for some action.

"Do I have to remind you that Erza is not the only one that can be scary?" I flashed them a glare that Erza taught me so I can deal with them.

Lucy looked from the side scared from my tone and glare.

The boys just looked at me, new panic in their eyes.

"No ma'am." They both said in unison.

I relaxed my features.

"Good. Now get some rest. Tomorrow is gonna be a big day." I said going towards the exit but before I did I went near Lucy.

"Hey. You must be new here?" She nodded.

"I'm Anora, nice to meet you." I said extending my hand.

"My name is Lucy and I just recently joined the guild." The girl smiled at me brightly.

"That's good to hear. Say I saw that you know Natsu. Those two are going to be at each others throats the entire time and I will need a hand keeping them in check while Erza isn't watching, wanna come?" I asked innocently.

"Who? Me?" The girl asked in shock.

"Well since you know Natsu I'm sure you can think of something. To be honest I need another person to watch them besides me because, if I really have to step in, I'm afraid that there will be no Natsu and Gray left so argue between." I said with the most innocent smile and Lucy just stared at me with horror in her eyes. I laughed out loud mentally, I always liked teasing people with empty threats like that.

"Well the decision is yours at the end of the day but I do hope I get to see you tomorrow at the train station." I said as I started walking out the guild.

The next day we were sitting at a bench with Happy and Lucy, who at the time was holding Plue in here hands. We were watching Natsu and Gray having at each other while every person that was at the station was looking towards us.

"Let's just pretend we don't know them." Said Lucy, hiding her face with her hair.

"I thought it was your job to keep them at bay." Happy spoke, muffled, noming on a fish.

"They are hopeless." Lucy answered, defeated.

"I'll allow it this once." I said with crossed hands and a smile. "They are always like that, we just need to keep an eye on them while we are on the mission so as to not fail it."

At that moment Erza came with her huge luggage.

"Sorry I'm late. Have you been waiting long?" She asked, casually.

"No not really." Answered Lucy with a smile, turning her head towards Erza before she froze at the sheer amount of things the red haired girl brought with her.

"All those belong to you!?" Lucy exclaimed in shock.

"It's time to go good buddy!" Gray said while, hugging Natsu. "Aye! Haha" The pink haired boy confermed.

"Listen, one Happy is enough!" Lucy yelled.

"Good. I really love to see the two of you getting along." Erza said gently, turning her head towards me and Lucy.

"Hi Erza." I greeted, lifting an arm to wave at her.

"Hello Anora." She greeted back. "And what was your name?" She turned towards Lucy. "I believe I saw you at the guild yesterday." She continued. At the moment I was watching Gray and Natsu reeking with magical energy ready to unleash it on one another and was trying to hold back my laughter as Erza turned for a second and they were back to hugging. I never did tire of those three's antics.

Lucy greeted her and explained why she is with us while Erza told her about the rumors she heared about Lucy. It was a funny first introduction, that much I can say. Finally the boys stopped fighting and Natsu turned towards us with a serious expression.

"Hey, Erza, Anora, I'll come with you but only under one condition." He said. My interest was perked so I listened in as Erza asked him. "Oh? Well then, let's hear it?" She asked casually. Gray just yelled at Natsu to shut up.

"Kay!" he said holding a fist to his head. "I want a rematch with you two when we get back to Fairy Tail." He exclaimed excitedly. Lucy, Plue and Happy were shocked while Gray asked him if he had some kind of a death wish.

"I'm a lot stronger than I was last time! This time will be way different. Cus I'm gonna beat you both" He told us, his eye twitching. I of course being my carefree, cheerful self was all on board.

"Yeah! That's gonna be fun. It'll be just like old times when I kicked your butt." I said, sticking my tongue out and closing my right eye.

"Oh it's going to be fun alright, but I'm not the one that's going to be eating dirt this time Anora." He said with a smirk.

"You're on! When we get back to Fairy Tail I'll show you a thing or two." We were watching each other now, both with faces screaming _I ain't losing to you!_

Erza was next to pick up the challenge.

"Yes, I can tell you've improved. As to weather or not you can beat me, I suppose we'll have to see. I accept your challenge." She said calmly.

"Oh yeah! I'm fired up now!" Natsu exclaimed as his head caught on fire.

The train arrived and we all climbed on board. Gray and Natsu sat next to each other, Happy in the middle on the one end of the seats while me, Erza and Lucy were on the other end, Erza in the middle.

As the train started, loathe and behold, me and Natsu were going to die.

"I swear, you're totally pathetic. One minute you're picking up fights and the next you're like this." Gray said to Natsu while looking out the window.

"It's gotta be tough for them to be getting from place to place." Lucy looked at both of us with pitty.

Erza stood with crossed arms. "Don't worry. They'll be fine." She said with a smirk. "Come her and sit with me Natsu."

Lucy and Natsu switched places.

Erza grabbed the both of us by the shoulders and spoke to us while we were having a hard time doing anything. "Now, just relax you two." She said calmly.

Not long after, she punched us both in the stomach with such force that I fell unconscious and probably Natsu was the same. I was getting used to Erza doing that when we traveled.

* * *

I woke up still on the train, but no sign of the others.

' _Great! Erza forgot about us, again, after she pulverized us.'_ I moaned, but stopped right after, before I could vomit. I had my eyes bearly opened and saw that Natsu was already up as well.

"Aw…man... they forgot about us…" I moaned as I held my stomach. Natsu didn't comment.

"Well look at what we have here. Two Fairy Tail wizards." I heard someone talking and when I looked up I saw the man me and Erza spied on in that tavern, Kageyama…

"How's the guild treating ya these days?" He asked coming towards us with a smile plastered on his face. "Is it worth sticking around?"

"What?" Natsu asked weakly. And just like that a boot flied to his face and Natsu crossed his arms. My eyes widened but I couldn't do much, I could bearly move.

"Don't act all high and mighty just because you are in a legal guild, mister fairy. You guys will just blindly follow the Magic council and do you know how you look like to us? Harmless, little flies!" The man mocked.

Natsu set his fists aflame and stood up.

"Guess I hit a nerve." The man said with his hands in his pockets.

"You..." He started but the train suddenly jumped a bit and Natsu's flames died down as he was about to puke.

The man laughed. "What kind of magic is that? Let me show you how it's done!" He said as a purple magical circle was created beneath him. Shadow sprung forth and knocked Natsu on the ground.

"Oi. Stupid face, why don't mess with someone who can fight back properly." I tried to sound confident but I failed miserably when I put my hand to my mouth to hold back the vomit.

"And you are the one that can fight back missy? Don't make my laugh!" Suddenly shadows started flying my way. My eyes widened as the projectiles flew towards me. Just as they were about to hit me the train suddenly stopped and I was sent flying towards the seats in front of me, dodging the shadows.

"Man, that's gonna leave a mark." I said muffled form the seat in which my face landed.

As I lifted my form and my vision was focused again I saw Natsu and Kageyama on the floor and some kind of a wooden stick on the floor. It had a skull with three as an end.

Natsu stood up. "What's that?" He looked at the artifact. "You saw it!" The man exclaimed.

"That's enough out of you! It's payback time!" Natsu yelled at him as he punched his two fists into one another.

" **Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** He yelled, as he charged towards the man. **"Guard Shadow"** The man bellowed as he put his hands in a cross sign and shadows moved up in front of him as a shield. The impact made an explosion and the man was sent flying. "Lucky shot." He said waekly from the ground.

"Little fly huh?" Natsu said holding a fist to his face with a huge smirk.

I just watched with crossed hands behind him. "Natsu! You overdid it again. You blew up the train."

A sweat drop formed on his face. "It's not my fault the stupid thing doesn't hold up against my fire." He said pouting before a woman's voice got out attention. It was coming from the train's speakers.

"Attention all passengers. Our emergency stop was a false alarm. We'll be departing again, shortly."

"Oh crap, we gotta go Anora." He said as he took his and my luggage.

"Hold it right there!" The man stood up, with bruises all over his face. "I'm not letting you get away that easily. You're messing with Eisenwald now." The man threatened.

"Oh so you're with Eisenwald huh? I'll show you…" Before he finished his sentence a two lights one violet-white and the other blue-white that were dancing around each other flung towards the man and knocked him out cold.

Natsu just looked at me with shock, as both my hands were to one another after casting **"Arcane Dragon Twin Blast"**.

"What was that for?! I was just gonna kick his butt outside!" I just crossed my hands.

"You were stealing all the fun and he was talking too much. I wanted in on the action. Who would have thought that he wouldn't be able to take even that…" I said pouting.

The train suddenly started moving slowly and we both made green faces. Natsu saw Erza driving in the magical car near the train and started running towards the window ready to jump before I grabbed him by the scarf.

' _ **Blink**_ **'** I thought as imagined where we will reappear, right on top of Erza's car. And that's where we were right now. Only back side was… Natsu landed on to of Gray. Erza pulled the breaks and the car stopped. Everyone hopped of the evil contraption. Gray and Natsu were on the ground and I was near them, my legs shaking and my hand on my mouth.

Erza hurried towards us.

"Natsu, Anora, are you alright?" Everyone got up.

"That hurt you idiot!" Gray yelled at Natsu.

"Shut up ya Icy freak! How come you guys left us on the train!"

"I'm just glad you two are ok." Erza beamed.

"Yeah we are fine…" I said, now better that we weren't riding something.

"I apologize. It was all my fault." She said as she pulled Natsu for a crushing hug and tried to reach for me. He was caught in her clutches while I just jumped back knowing what will happen.

"It's ok!" Me and Natsu yelled before she could crushed him.

"Yeah, we are fine Erza. We are just a bit shacken because we got attacked by a weirdo on the train. He said he was with Eisenwal." At that Erza slapped him really hard and a sweat drop formed on my head.

' _Oh… bother, I forgot we were chasing them in all that commotion.'_

"You idiot, that is exactly who we are chasing on this mission, why did you let him get away!"

"What the? This is the first time I hear about this?!" He said holding his cheek in confusion.

"I explained everything on the train! You should listen when people talk to you!" I could hear Lucy saying something of the sort 'She already forgot she knocked them out...' from where she stood with Gray. Erza turned towards me with an angry glare and I smiled nervously, waving my hand at her as to gesture a 'Hi'.

"And you! You already know about this, you were with me when we overheard them!" She yelled in my ear.

I poked at my now, deaf dragon ear. "It was a bit hard to focus when my stomach was spinning ya know, because someone knocked us out and left us on the train." I yelled at her, crossing my hands in the process and turning my nose up, like the child I sometimes was.

We explained to them what happened and Lucy had a small revelation. She told us that the wooden flute thingy, Lullaby was a death sort of magic. After that Erza prepared the car and gave us the command to hop on in.

"So, the ones we are chasing are on the that train huh?" She said to no one in particular. "Hold on!"

As soon as she yelled that, we were already in our seats and the car flew so fast that me and Natsu didn't even realize when we got our motion sickness again. For some reason Gray was on top of the car again like when I blinked to them, I bet he was regretting that decision right now! I could hear him bounce up and down up there, clinging to the car for dear life.

"Hey, slow down Erza! You are using too much of your power, driving this thing." He shouted.

Me and Natsu were just sitting there, Natsu looked like he wasn't even on Earth and I was probably looking like a zombie at the moment while Lucy was giving us a pity stare and Happy had his paws in the air, shock on his face from the crazy driving.

"I have no choice but to press onward! We are running out of time. If Erigor gets his hands on that death magic, trust me, lives will be lost!" Erza yelled as the car continued forward with maximum speed.

And so, we were marching towards our first major event, the car jumping from the small rocks that it was hitting from the sheer amount of speed, Erza's magic was giving out.

 **A/N: Done! First chapter of the Lullaby arc. Next chapter will be my second action scene. I hope this one will be even better than the last one!**

 **If you guys are wondering about the 'Blink' ability it will be explained in the next chapter.**

 **Until then, I'll see ya all in the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Song of Battle

**A/N: No time for this here! On with ze chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Eight

The Song of Battle

I was just hearing the people around me talking and the car I was in jumping. I was nearly unconscious. My motion sickness was worse than I thought and I believe Natsu was the same. Lucy was trying to make it somehow better for us but even with her efforts nothing was helping. I was just lying with closed eyes waiting for the moment I would get out of this devil machine.

Suddenly I heard the car stop but I was still pretty down. I couldn't even move. That's when someone gave me a hand around the shoulder and I used him for support. It was Gray. Lucy was carrying Natsu while Erza was screaming at some poor people at what looked like a train station. She knocked them out rather quickly and they weren't even the bad guys…

Gray carried me into the station while Lucy was still holding onto Natsu. While we were going in I noticed all the guards on the floor. I was getting better and better by the second but the train and the crazy driving of Erza were just too much for me. We suddenly stopped and I found myself lying on the ground.

It appeared Erza, Lucy and Gray were readying themselves for battle. There were so many bad guys and they were blabbering about something but in this state I hardly cared. In a few seconds I was feeling much better and I got up on my feet. Well at least I didn't miss all the fun.

By the time my vision was fully focused, Natsu had already gotten up and even deflected some shadows with his fist that was engulfed in flames.

The bad thing was that their leader just disappeared in thin air… Erza gave the boys the command to go after him and their hesitation was swiftly taken care of with one glance from Erza. When all my senses were working properly I saw that the rest of the dark guild was standing in front of us. All ready to get their butts kicked. I only hoped Erza would leave some for me. She always did get a bit carried away like most of our little group. Ok maybe just like everyone from our little group… I myself was no exception and knowing my father, because of who, mind you, there are three mountain peaks less in the world, it wasn't hard to believe.

Kageyama and another person went after the boys but the rest stood in our way.

"We will catch up to them once we finish off the rest of the men here, ok?" Commanded Erza.

"Three girls against an entire magical gild?!" Lucy asked, trembling in fear.

"Just leave some for me Erza." I perked up behind them. Over the years I guess the guild made it's mark on me because I really started loving to fight. There was thrill and excitement from it and I just loved it.

"Hm. Let's make a little contest then." Erza said with a coy smile. "The loser buys the other cake!" Erza beamed.

"You're on! I'm going to enjoy that cake!" I gave her a toothy smile as we prepaired for battle.

"You two are making a contest out of this?!" Lucy asked, shocked to the core.

The men stated some random facts as to tease us but I didn't really give them that much attention. The funny thing was that Lucy actually tried to charm them. I almost started laughing there and then.

"Let's do this!" Erza commanded as a blade formed in her hand. "If you insult the Fairy Tail guild, again, in my presence, I swear none of you will live to see tomorrow." She taunted as she started swinging at the men and one by one was knocking them down.

" **Arcane Dragon Spectacle."** I said as I crossed my hands in an 'X' formation. When I was little I could only summon around twenty to thirty arrow-like lights in the air but as I grew stronger so did my spells. Now around the whole dark guild, brightly, around fifty to sixty lights waited for my command. In an instant I thrust my arms to the side, mimicking an explosion and the lights started to shimmer and flung themselves towards the men, exploding on impact.

After my attack Lucy continued the combo by summoning Cancer and quickly shaved all of the men's hair. It was not a strong attack but it sure was hilarious. I snickered to myself as Erza scolded the spirit for the way he treats Lucy.

"That's twenty one here." I stuck my tongue out to Erza.

"Then I guess I have to step up my game!" She exclaimed with a determined look. "Reequip, Heaven's Wheel Armor!" She bellowed. In a moment, she was covered in plated armor. Swords sticking out from behind her back like wings. Two swords in her arm and around ten more swirling around her form.

She stood in a graceful position as a lady would. "NOW! Dance my swords!" She commanded to her blades as she hovered over the ground. **"Circle Swords!"** The blades as if trained dogs started spinning around her and in an instant flung themselves towards the enemy. With one swifts attack she took all of them down without one who escaped rather quickly.

She smirked knowingly. "Forty three." She said calmly as she reequipped to her normal armor.

I crossed my arms. "Show off." I said with a pout.

"I believe you owe me some cake when we return and I will hold you onto your word." She said with a huge grin.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." I sighed. _'Man that woman would do anything for cake…'_

"Now then, I would imagine that that man went to look for Erigor. You two should go after him." Erza commanded.

"Who us?" Lucy gasped.

"Just do it!" Erza roared with her trademark glare.

"Come on Lucy, you don't want to get on her bad side." I said with a toothy grin.

Lucy just stared at me and then at Erza with shock. "Ok, whatever you say I don't want to make you angry." She inquired hurriedly.

And just like that me, Happy and Lucy were off to search for that man. I knew why Erza wanted us out of her sight. She used too much of her magical power… and they say Natsu is the reckless one. She almost overexerted herself over cake!

We were currently running along one of the corridors.

"Now where did that fat one run off to?" Lucy asked.

"Ya better find him or Erza is gonna strangle you!" Happy teased.

"Don't worry, he can't be too far away." I tried to calm them down.

We were now entering a new corridor filled with huge knight figured statues. Lucy asked if we should just go back to Erza since we can't find him, but quickly lost that thought when Happy told us of what happens when you don't listen to red-haired woman…

In that moment a huge explosion shook the building to it's core.

"Why is the building shaking like that?" Lucy asked in panicked confusion.

I smirked widely. "That's Natsu for ya." I tried copying Happy.

"That's Natsu's doing?!" She asked with hight voice. "Ohh… who am I kidding, of course it's him." She answered herself.

"Let's continue onward." I prompted. Lucy and Happy followed me until we reached a hole in the wall. And what do you see on the other side? Erza trying to threaten an unconscious man to do her bidding… Why am I not surprised? I smirked at the scene.

"Uhhhh… bad timing, huh?" Lucy speculated.

Once we got to them, Gray explained what he found out. They were planning on using Lullaby to kill the guild master at the conference. We went to the entrance of the train station and quickly realized that pursuing him will not be easy with the little surprise he left us with.

He had made a huge tornado like shield around the whole station and whoever tried to go through it got severely hurt. Erza had already tried…

Of course that didn't stop Natsu. He did not back down no matter how hard he hurt himself he just kept smacking the wind wall, until Lucy caught him and stopped him before he hurt himself more. Erza was trying to wake up Kage and Gray was shouting at Natsu for being a moron.

"AH! I got it, you can 'blink' us out Anora." Natsu loosened himself from Lucy's grip and pointed at me excitedly. All eyes were on me now.

"I can't, it doesn't work that way, Natsu." I tried to explain. He looked confused. "What do you mean, we just grab onto you and you can 'blink' us on the other side just like you did when we were on the train." He pointed out.

"I don't just do it in the sense of I'm here then I'm there. When I cast the spell my body and anyone who touches me while casting is put into another dimension, leaving only our Ethernanos behind. After that on the spell's command the Ethernanos travel to the desired location and our bodies reappear on the Ethernano's location. I can't 'blink' on the other side of that wall because the Ethernanos can't get past it as well."

"Huh!?" He seemed thoroughly confused by my explanation.

"I just can't, ok!" I said, defeated.

"Then we can use Lucy's spirits!" He perked up again. And then Lucy gave him, her reason for not being able to do it until happy remembered he got Virgo's key and gave it to Lucy. It was an awkward exchange to say the least…

Lucy used Virgo and she dug a tunnel under the wind wall and we all got to the other side. Natsu even took Kageyama with us. It was quite windy on the other side. When we got out everyone started talking to each other but my focus was on Natsu who started flying with Happy to somewhere.

As I saw them depart I knew he was acting reckless again. He was going after Erigor, alone! I remember this moment from the anime. He was going to win the battle but get seriously hurt in the process. I had to do something, so in an instant I thought. ' **Blink.'** And just like that I was holding onto Happy's tail in the sky. He winced at the added weight.

"What the!? What are you doing here Anora?" Natsu asked when he noticed me.

"You were going to steal all the fun again and we can't have that now can we?" He grinned at my words.

"Ok then, hold on tight now." He told me as his legs caught on fire and he let out a huge cone of flame to boost Happy's speed.

"Ugh… Natsu you two are too heavy. I can't hold up for much longer." Happy whined.

"Just a bit longer buddy!" Natsu encouraged him.

"Yeah, you can do it Happy." I tried to do so as well.

"Aye!" He answered as he held on to what little strength he had left.

In the distance a form was beginning to grow bigger and bigger until we were near enough to see him whole.

Natsu let out a battle cry. "We've got you now. Ya didn't know cats could fly at mach speed, could ya?" As he said that, we neared the shocked figure of Erigor enough and Natsu landed a straight hit on his face.

Me and Natsu feel to the ground and we caught Happy who was dead tired.

"You ok buddy?" Asked Natsu, concern in his voice.

"Yeah, just tired. Can't fly." Happy said weakly as Natsu put him on the ground. "Don't worry buddy, I think me and Anora can handle it from here." I gave Happy a bright smile.

"You did great Happy, rest up now." I said with a gentle voice and received a tired 'Aye' in reply.

We were currently standing on a railway in the mountains. It would be pretty bad if we fell…

"You again!" Erigor's voice was heard from the direction of the impact. Both me and Natsu turned towards him, frowning.

"You two are from those pesky Fairy Tail flies. What are you doing here?" he asked with malice in his voice.

Both of us prepared for battle.

"Ya ain't passing us ya dress wearing wind bag!" Natsu taunted as he set his hands aflame.

"Yeah, you are not going to prevail!" I got in the conversation, bright violet light forming around my hands.

"We'll see about that!" Erigor prepared himself for battle.

"I'm gonna burn you and that stupid flute to a crisp!" Natsu threatened.

"So… you broke through my wind barrier huh? You little flies can be such a nuisance. Now get out of my way! Or else…" He threatened as he pointed a hand towards us a dark purple magical circle appeared pushing us with a strong gust of wind.

Natsu used his flames to jump away from the attack while I countered with my shelter spell.

"Is that all you got?" Natsu said as he flung towards Erigor with flaming fists. Erigor blocked with his scythe and jumped into the air.

I took the wind head on and while my shield held up nicely it was still a pretty strong attack.

"Come back down here so we can teach you a thing or two." I yelled at him in the air as I dispelled my protective spell.

"Yeah! Come back down here ya coward and fight me like a man!" Natsu joined in.

"Don't get too cocky flies." He said as he yelled the next spell.

" **Storm Bringer"** As the words left his mouth and the dark purple magical circle around his hand closed, a huge tornado lifted both of us into the air and threw us off the railway.

We both started falling down towards the sharp looking rocks beneath us.

We were apart in the air and I tried to get to Natsu so I can 'blink' us to safty.

"Natsu, grab on!" I yelled, reaching with my hand towards him. He tried to grab onto it but to no avail. He was too far away.

' _Damn it, you gotta do this on your own. I can't 'blink' two times in a row and I can't get to you and then get us away.'_

Seconds later, I was standing on the railway again, facing Erigor.

"You are gonna pay for this!" I told him, rage in my eyes. But then a huge fiery hand grabbed on to the end of the railway and Natsu pulled himself up.

"You didn't think I was gonna leave you alone with this creep, did ya?" He smirked at me and I gave him a toothy grin.

"You look a bit cold, half naked up there. Want me to warm ya up?" Natsu teased.

"Your flames are powerless against me." He boasted.

"Don't leave me out of the picture, pervy reaper!" I said annoyed that I wasn't getting any attention. "Now!" I gave a sign to Natsu.

" **Arcane Dragon…"**

" **Fire Dragon…"**

"… **ROAR"** We both bellowed at the same time and the two magical roars one of pure flame and the other of bright violet and blue light shot towards Erigor. For a moment I thought I saw a bit of shock on his features.

" **Storm Wall"** He countered, stopping our attacks on point.

"All though your powers are remarkable you two are still no match for me!" He boasted once again. "Enough of this cat and mouse chase. It's time to get serious!"

Natsu smirked. "I'm ready when you are!"

I grinned. "Same goes for me!."

" **Storm Mail"** Erigor shouted, crossing his hands. In front of them his scythe started spinning, gathering winds that engulfed his whole body to use them as an armor of sorts.

"Here I come!" He yelled at us, charging like a raging tornado.

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack"** I tried to engage. As I said the spell two ethereal twin swords appeared in my hands and I charged with swirling motions towards Erigor but as I neared him the swords dissipated and I was thrown to the ground by him.

"What the?" I asked, confused, while standing up and holding my head.

"What's the matter? Can't handle the breeze?" Erigor taunted.

"Anora, you ok?" Natsu asked concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's show this guys how we do things now." I said, taking position for battle again.

Natsu gave me a toothy grin and turned towards Erigor.

"You coward! You had to go and wrap yourself in a wind barrier." He said as he punched his fists into each other.

"This will break through it!" He said as a magical circle appeared before his fists.

"Wait!" I yelled, but I was too late.

" **Fire Dragon Iron Fist"** Natsu tried to attack but as he came into contact with the opposing wizard his flames died down and Erigor just laughed.

"I don't understand?" Natsu asked confused. "Why did my fire go out?"

"Now I have the upper hand!" He boasted.

"No way!" Me and Natsu both said in unison.

In that moment huge gusts of wind almost knocked me over. I stood firm as did Natsu but we were pushed a few feet away.

"Unfortunately for you, the winds of my 'Storm Mail' blow outwardly. If you get too close it will smother your flame, leaving you powerless against me."

' _So that's why my attack failed as well. The winds blew apart the Ethernanos the swords were created from.'_ I gasped as I realized that we are in a dire situation.

"Now do you understand, little flies? You can't defeat me!" His boasting continued.

"It's time to blow you for good now."

" **Storm Shred!"** He pointed one hand towards us and in an instant, huge arrow-like, wind projectiles started flying towards us.

"Stand behind me Natsu!" I said and he complied.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter."** I said, extending my arms towards the side and creating a violet see-through light, which surrounded our forms and protected us from Erigor's ruthless attack. At the end it was too powerful and the shield broke pushing me to the ground but we didn't get hurt.

Me and Natsu tried again and again to land an attack on him but to no avail.

"We can't even get close enough to land a punch on this guy Now what?." Natsu commented.

"Feeling a little frustrated? Don't be too hard on yourself, you never had a chance against me!" He said while laughing.

"But don't worry, I'm going to put an end to this, NOW!" He threatened.

"My soaring phoenix magic rips everything to shreds!" He said with an echoing voice.

" **Emera Baram!"** His voice boomed through the mountain walls. Suddenly a huge magical circle was created in front of Erigor's form and a lot more smaller ones, started circling around the big one. All in dark purple color.

"That's a dangerous spell you guys! Whatever you do, don't let it touch you, ok?" Happy warned us from the side.

"Got it!" I signaled that we understood and the two of us braced for impact.

"Goodbye Fairy Tail flies!" He said crossing his fingers in an 'X' formation and a huge gust of wind was thrown at us. It destroyed the railway and me and Natsu were sent flying.

"Come on you guys! You gotta get up! Hurry!" happy pleaded as we lay on the ground with bruises.

"Hohoho, I'm impressed they both have their bodies whole after that attack. Not so shabby for wizards so young." The wizard laughed maniacally.

"Natsu! Anora! Get up!" Happy pleaded again. The two of us struggled to stand.

"After I play a song on Lullaby the rest of the fools will be joining you in your eternal rest!" The man laughed again. Suddenly Natsu got up while I still struggled to stand.

"All you talk about is that stupid flute!" Natsu said, removing his wastecoat. "If you wanna kill the guild masters you gotta get through us first!" Natsu said with determination in his voice. I stood up to his words, my strength returning fully.

"Yeah, and we don't intend to go down easy either." I cracked a smile.

"Ya tell em!" Happy bounced happily.

"Impossible! How are you even standing?!" Erigora asked, confused.

"Enough talk, let's start fighting!" Natsu charged at him with his words but was quickly repelled back, his flames extinguished.

"You can't keep that forever!" I taunted.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast"** I yelled bringing my hands together and as the two familiar lights touched each other in the middle of my palms they shot towards Erigor, while dancing around each other.

The blast dissipated before it even reached him and my eyes widened with shock and frustration.

Suddenly Natsu had enough and started creating a huge pile of fire around him. He was so frustrated he couldn't land a hit that his rage fueled his power, creating a ginormous pillar of flame.

'… _When casting spells, remember that the most important part is to use your emotions to make the spells more powerful. If your heart isn't in it, your power will be only half or even less of what it could be…but if you concentrate all of your being in casting a single spell then it will have enormous power.'_ Dads words echoed through my mind once more. That was it! The flame can stop the wind if it's strong enough and Natsu's flames are stronger the more emotions he puts in them.

 _'So that means…'_ I looked at him and before I could open his mouth Happy talked.

"Natsu!" That got the pink haired boys attention, probably waiting on advice. "You stink." Happy said bluntly, waving a hand in front of his nose. "Just let Gray handle this because you are never gonna win."

At that Natsu exploded into even more intense flame.

I guess Happy thought of it as well!

"It's true! If I had Gray here, we would have won already." I said crossing my hands and looking away from him with a frown.

"WHAT!?" I had to step back now because even with my somewhat heat resistant, scaly skin I could still feel the intensity of his flames.

And just like that Erigor's 'Storm Mail' was gone and he was vulnerable to attacks.

"Curse you!" Erigor said meekly.

"I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU DOWN!" Natsu yelled at the man.

In an instant he threw himself at him.

" **Fire Dragon Sword Horn."** He bellowed as he charged.

I extended my hands to the sides ready to lend him support.

" **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle!"** I yelled as a violet circle was created between Natsu and Erigor and once the pink haired boy went through it his flames doubled their intensity. He hit Erigor right in the face and knocked him out cold on the ground.

"You showed him that if you mess with the Salamander, you are gonna get toasted!" Happy said excitedly.

"Yeah! You showed him Natsu." I said, fist in the air and grinning ear to ear.

Natsu crossed his hand and turned his back on us.

"You didn't seem so sure about it earlier." He pouted.

Of course he didn't get it so I explained it to him and all was forgiven in the matter of seconds. As we recovered the flute though, Erza and the others came to the scene and congratulated us but… that was short lived because Kageyama took the car and the flute with him…

We had to chase him all the way to the conference where we found Master Makarov speaking to the man. He persuaded him to not go down this path and Kage actually backed down. But that was not how our day ended. As he dropped the flute on the ground , the artifact reveled itself as one of the demons from the book of Zeref. At the time no one of us, except me, knew what that was, but that didn't stop us from fighting it.

At the moment me, Natsu, Gray and Erza stood firmly before the creature that moments ago, destroyed a mountain top with ease. Lucy decided it's for the best to sit this one out. The monster let out a terrifying screech as it created a huge magical circle above it.

"Ready?" Erza gave the signal.

"Oh yeah!" Gray, Natsu and me answered in unison as we charged the demon.

Erza attacked with her Heaven's Wheel and Black Wing Armor while Natsu and Gray attacked with a flurry of fire and ice based spells.

As the creature was attacked from all sides I continued their combo with my own flurry of attacks.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains"** I swiped my hand to the side, pointing towards the demon and purplish chains started to engulf it's form.

"Now!" I prompted and everyone attacked the moment I incapacitated the monster.

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack"** As it tore away from my chains I charged at it, two ethereal swords at my side and I attacked with swirling motions cutting it from all sides while Erza attacked with her Black Wing Armor.

It got angry and tried to attack us but we dodged with ease.

"Now, everyone! Hit it with everything you got!" Erza commanded and everyone used a powerful spell.

" **Arcane Dragon Magical Outburst"** I yelled as I brought my hands together and a beam of pure magic, violet and blue in color, was shot towards my target. The unleased magical power from the battle with Erigor and the amount of power unleased in this battle here had created so much arcania that I was felling like I could blow a mountain or two right about now.

All of our powerful abilities hit at once but they didn't destroy the demon. It laughed at as it tried to cast it's spell but soon found out that it could not sing it's deadly song as it had holes on itself. At that moment Natsu threw a huge fireball towards it and I used the moment to double it's power and the monster vaporized. Well it… and kinda the mountain it was standing on….

Lucy, Happy and the master all approached us as we finished the job.

"Great work out there guys!" Lucy cheered.

"Thanks, but it wasn't a big deal." Natsu boasted.

"Peace of cake." Gray confermed.

"That was fun!" I joined in with a grin from ear to ear as we all laughed at our victory.

As we all cheered the other guild masters came to thank us but then we all turned to the other side…

"We can thank the Fairy Tail guild but I believe they went a bit overboard again." The other guild masters all said as we looked at the destroyed conference hall.

"Aye! And I think a few mountain tops are missing too." Happy added. And at that point Master Makarov was unconscious.

"Haha! We really made a mess of the place huh?" Natsu asked with closed eyes and grin from ear to ear, laughing.

"We sure did!" I laughed with him while all the guild masters were yelling at us and Erza was out chasing and asking to apologizes to our master's spirit.

And after that we headed home, towards the guild. Let's not talk about the angry mob of guild masters that was chasing us...

 **A/N: Done and done! This chapter was fairly fun to write. I hope you enjoyed. This one was more action packed than the others so review and tell me your opinion on the matter.**

 **See ya all in the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9: Anora vs Natsu

**A/N: I recommend listening to some Fairy Tail battle music at the duel part. While rereading I found out it was much better with some of the hype music. :P My recommendation is to listen to _'Kurogane'_ while reading through the fight cus I found out that that song fits best. **

**Now then, enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter Nine

Anora vs Natsu

After we defeated Lullaby we prepared to go home. One problem… The magical car was kinda in pieces… We had to walk all the way back to the guild.

For some unknown, even to God reason, we let Happy lead the way. Yeah that was a good idea… The first day we got lost in the woods and decided to camp it out for the night. After we woke up we didn't lose any sunshine and we marched towards the guild. About an hour and a half later, Happy had somehow led us to a barren wasteland that contained only rocks… and more rocks. We were lost again. Best part – everyone was starving. We hadn't eaten since last day and that was seriously affecting us.

As if the Lord himself heard our pleas, we stumbled on some flying fish. Yes! Flying fish. I didn't care, I would eat anything edible in this state. It seemed everyone thought as I did because not a few seconds after and we were already fishing for some.

 _One eternity latur!_ A voice from the past rang in my mind.

We caught one fish. ONE!? And we decided to give it to Happy since if everyone took a bite, it would only make us want more. We all watched, Happy chewing well… happily on the fish, with a death stare. Envy plastered on most of our faces. That was until he spat it all on the ground and threw the rest off a cliff. I died a bit inside at the sight of that. I don't care how it tasted, it was food for crying out loud!

After that little stop, we were even more hungry and what do ya see? A village! A village without people and food everywhere. This was like a dream. Too good to be true in fact… Something was really off about the place. Even though I was drooling at the sight of precious food. My tongue and stomach were desperately trying to seduce my mind but I knew better. The food was just cooked and no one was around. That begged the question – what happened here?

Erza decided it's best to investigate first before we stuff ourselves with food. As much as I wanted to eat everything with the table I couldn't deny the logic in her words. So she sent me, Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Happy to hunt for some mushrooms while she and the Master stayed in town.

We got into a nearby forest and lo and behold – mushrooms of all kinds. From purple with blue dots to pink with green horns. Seriously in all my new life in the world of Fairy Tail I had never seen mushrooms like these. And if I had learned something about them in my old life – Don't touch the colorful ones.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak I actually opened it rather in shock… Natsu and Gray had already stuffed their mouths with all kinds of different shrooms. And oh look, now they were growing out of their heads… Well at least Lucy shared my initial shock with the boys stupidity. And after that, of course, Happy had to eat one himself. And then it grew on his head. And then he cried. And then I had to chase him and comfort him…

Thank god at least the effect of the mushrooms didn't last as the ones on the heads of the boys were growing and growing, until they fell off. Happy's was still up though.

At that point we heard a growling noise. It shook the whole place and the worst part – it was coming from the village in which we left Master Makarov and Erza. We ran towards their direction and we entered the town. As I said, that was the worst part. The best part? I had no clue what was going to happen. This was out of my memory of the series and I had absolutely no clue what was going to happen. I tried to remember really hard but I failed miserably in the end.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Erza and the Master came running to us as small cracks in the ground started glowing red and not long after the buildings around us started glowing in the same crimson light. Everyone prepared for battle but Makarov said that we need to go to higher ground and fast.

We obliged and we went to a nearby cliff, just near the village. By the time we climbed to the top every building in the vicinity had turned into a monster. The Master explained that this was some sort of a long forbidden black magic known as **Alive**.

We were a bit nervous to say the least. But… that quickly changed when we heard yet another growl from Erza's tummy and the Master telling us that this was a great opportunity to get food. Yes, Erza's stomach was actually like a lion, roaring to scare others from it's food.

Everyone cheered and we lept into combat. Natsu barbequing, Gray turning stuff into popsicles and Erza, me and Lucy just chopped every monster that came close to us. When the monsteres were defeated, Erza of course, tried to make Lucy and me go at it first and try the 'delicacy of the day'. Yeah like that worked. Sighing in defeat she tried it and kept the best poker face I've ever seen. Why poker face? Because since I saw her eat it without squirming in agony that was a green light for me and I just jumped in the pile of neatly chopped sticks that were the monsters not a few seconds ago. Hey! Don't judge me! I had a Dragon Slayer stomach to fill and that ain't an easy feat!

As I stuffed my mouth with the meat my nose wrinkled in disgust, my mouth opened wide and my tongue was out before my mind could even process what was happening. It was like a put a wet sock in my mouth. That was wet because it was under someone's armpit. In the summer. On a smelly dude. Ok you get the point…

Of course I had not time to get the taste out of my mouth because, hooray, more monsters appeared. This time they were much more though and we were surrounded. In the blink of an eye, the cliff we were standing on crumbed and we were now falling towards a huge magical circle that was just screaming 'happy-fun-time'.

I don't know what happened then. A huge white light engulfed us and we were standing near a ruined town with a bunch of people in front us. They were the villagers and it turns out they were the ones that made the magical circle around the village. The Master made them a deal not to do such stupid things and in return he wouldn't tell the Magic Council about this incident.

After that we were on our way again. A little confused at what had happened. Of course we nagged the Master for answers but he was very vague with his answer. So we let him be for the rest of the journey. Did I mention our feet were killing us? And that the people didn't even get us provisions for the fact that we saved them? And that we had to walk six more hours till we got back to the guild?! Yeah I was cranky! Sue me, I was starving and my feet were killing me.

Six agonizing hours later, we all collapsed in front of the guild. We got ourselves fed and rested a bit before everyone headed for their home. I have never been more glad to see my bed. It was like it was whispering seductively in my ear the moment I laid my eyes upon it. I just plopped on it, face first, not even bothering to change and I fell asleep for the night.

That's what happened yesterday. Today was much better. Although my stomach was making strange noises from time to time… Weird.

I was currently just outside the guild. As was every other member. We were all gathered in a big circle around two people. Them being – Erza and Natsu. We did promise him a fight after we got back from the mission after all. Me and Erza drew sticks to see who goes first. I wasn't happy with the second place, that was for sure… I didn't want to fight a cripple, if you get what I mean... So right now everyone was watching the two duking it out in the middle. The were even bets going on around. I bet on Erza, of course. That was easy money.

Erza got in her 'Flame Empress Armor' and Natsu was just throwing fire everywhere like usual until a humanoid frog stopped our fun and took away Erza on behalf of the Magic Council. It was a bummer to say the least. I knew what would happen so I wasn't worried. That couldn't have been said for the rest of the lot here. After Erza went with the frog person everyone got back to the guild and started to throw random theories on what might happen. Natsu was turned into a real salamander and put under a cup so he wouldn't escape and make something that everyone was going to regret.

And what happened? After a while Master caught on to the scheme and realized that the salamander we had was not the one we wanted. It turns out the one we had was Macao who had a favour to give to Natsu. Everyone had a mixture of shock and anger on their faces so I tried calm them down.

"What's the worst that can happen? I mean it's not like as if Natsu is going to storm right into the meeting, while Erza is on a trial, with a stupid costume, claiming he is the red headed warrior, right?"

At my words everyone looked at me and Master Makarov promptly fell unconscious. I snickered. Deep down everyone knew that he would do exactly that or something even more stupid.

The next day he came back with Erza, explaining how both of them stayed in jail for his action, which were actually the exact scenario I had predicted. I wonder how I did that? Natsu was quite ecstatic to be away from jail. He was jumping and breathing fire everywhere and annoying everyone, as per usual.

But then, Elfman suggested that he and Erza continue their match. He agreed but Erza was not in the mood. As he charged at her with a flaming fist I just knew that he was going to regret doing that, the moment he got near her. So to save him some embarrassment and to give myself a chance to fight someone that wasn't pounded to the ground, I caught his hand before he reached the red haired woman and pulled him to a stop.

"Hey, what's that about, Anora?" He pouted.

"Erza said she is not in the mood and besides you didn't challenge only her." As my wods left my mouth I looked him right in the eye, a spark of challenge flickering in mine. He quickly caught on what I was implying and agreed. Erza was sending me a quiet 'Thank you' from the side.

"Ok then, I'm all fired up for our match Anora!" He said, escaping my clutches.

Before we could continue, though, I started to feel dizzy and quite sleepy there. Everyone around me was dropping to the ground like dead birds.

' _Dang it Mystogan, you really ought to stop doing that.'_ That was the last thing I remember before darkness fell upon me.

* * *

I woke up rubbing my head that was throbbing with a mild headache at the moment. Everyone else in the guild was also just now waking up and moaning about Mystogan visiting.

Before we could proceed with the plan I had, which consisted of kicking Natsu's butt for fun, yet another interruption. I groaned innerly. Just as Elfman and Gray were explaining to Lucy what just happened to us Laxus decided to show his smug face from the second floor. He started blabbering about something about him being the strongest or something. I didn't really listen to him that much. After he became an S-class wizard I hardly looked at him. He became so full of himself.

Natsu… being Natsu decided it was good to challenge him too. So he charged at him on the second floor before he could reach his target, gramps slammed him to the ground with his huge, just now enlarged, fist. After the incident with Lisanna people without an S rank weren't allowed on the second floor that had S-classed quests. Before, even if you didn't pass the trials, as long as you were with an S rank member you could go to the second floor and on a mission, rated S, with them. Not to say that after what happened, the Master forbid it being so.

After a few moments everyone quieted down and Laxus left to do whatever he did in his spare time. Everyone wasn't in a mood after the encounter with Makarov's grandson.

' _Oh no, I'm having my fight right now! I'm too bored not to get it now and all these interruptions are just making me want to go at it even more!'_

"Come on everybody! Did you forget! Everyone out, right now! Me and Natsu are going to duke it out." I said, practically shoving Natsu out the door. Everyone followed with a cheer. They started the bets again and everyone formed a circle around us but still gave us enough space for the fight.

We now stood in front of each other, both at the ready. Everyone was cheering, whistling and commentating with one another around us but I was just focused on the one in front of me.

"It's been a while since you asked me to a friendly fight, Natsu. I thought that you forgot about, dear old me after last year." I said with a smirk.

"Today's gonna be different, Anora! Cus I'm taking you down!" He exclaimed boldly forming fists in his hands and giving me a wide grin.

"That so?" I said, a violet and blue light forming at my hand, ready for my command. "Just know that I don't intend to go easy on ya Natsu." I said sticking my tongue out as if I was a kid.

He smirked at me. "I don't intend to hold back, either."

Master Makarov came near us with his staff thingy, held it up in the air and announced loudly. "Fight!"

In an instant we both shot towards each other, our friends spectating us all around. He tried to hit me with a flaming fist but I easily dodged and used a counter attack.

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** I yelled, as the twin swords of ethereal matter formed around my hands and I tightened my grip on them. I attacked Natsu with a swirling motion but he dodged and tried an uppercut. I leaned to the side and he tried to follow up with a kick but I jumped away from him gaining some distance.

" **Fire Dragon Roar"** He bellowed and cone of fire was thrown at me. I acted on instinct.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter"** I held my hands to the side to support the purplish shield that was now around my form, protecting me from Natsu's flames. He stopped after a while and I dropped the shield. The moment I did that he charged at me, while setting himself ablaze.

" **Fire Dragon Sword Horn."** He yelled as he got closer and closer.

' _Blink'_ Was my only thought as I envisioned the place behind him and just as he was about to hit me I vanished into thin air and materialized a few feet way from him, where he was standing before he charged at me. Everyone was cheering so loudly now. I could even see Cana setting the bets at the side.

"That's cheap Anora!" Natsu looked at me, pouting. "Awwww, don't be like that. That's not a cheap trick. You're just mad you can't hit me." I said with a wink.

"We'll see about that." He said as he lunged towards me so fast I was almost too late to dodge.

" **Fire Dragon Iron Fist."** He said, setting his hands aflame and trying to strike at me with them. From his speed and my surprise it almost hit me square in the face but at the last second I dodged to the side inhaling strongly before yelling at him.

" **Arcane Dragon Roar"** As the words left my mouth the violet and blue particles with a white hue shot towards him in a cone fashion.

He saw that from a mile away though and dodged with ease, getting some distance between us.

"Come now, Anora. Is that really the best you got? I thought you said you weren't going to hold back? Do you think I won't be able to take it?" He taunted. Well he was right I wasn't fighting fully just because I knew this wasn't a real fight and as much as I loved fighting I couldn't bring myself to hurt a friend badly. But… he just hurt my pride, so… Pride. Natsu. Pride. Natsu. Pride…

' _Yep, I'm going to kick his butt now.'_

"You asked for it!" I said with a coy smile as I put my hands in an 'X' I did so, around forty violet-bluish arrow like lights, formed in the air around him. He was now observing every single one of them looking mildly shocked. My grin grew wider.

"Target acquired." I said as my grin reached my ears. I always wanted to say that!

" **Arcane Dragon Spectacle"** I yelled as I threw my hands at the sides and the arrows started flying in his general direction. He dodged most but a few hit em. The tiny explosions of violet particles leaving him on the ground. But he got up rather quickly.

"Not bad." He smirked, as he stood up fully. "My turn now!"

" **Fire Dragon Wing Attack"** He yelled as he tried to grab me but I evade his attack. Leaning to the side I tried an uppercut but he dodged it swiftly and countered with a flaming fist that sent me flying to the ground.

"Not bad, Natsu. You really did get much stronger in a year." I smiled gently as I stood from the ground and wiped my face of the dirt. I really did mean it. He wasn't nearly as strong as this before the end of last year.

He grinned a toothy grin at me. "Told ya so!" I could hear everyone cheering from the sides, even though some cheers were actually yells at Natsu to be careful with his fire and me with my arrows. It was quite a fight alright. I saw Lucy's dumbfounded expression. I think she thought that we were trying to kill each other. I concentrated on the battle. Once again we had a distance between us and it was a perfect time for a long range attack.

With one quick swipe of my hand at his general direction I screamed.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains."**

Purplish see-through chains started bursting out of the ground and trying to engulf Natsu but he either dodged them or burned them. Even if the attack was a fail it gave me enough of a distraction to follow up.

I extended both my hands, pointing at his form as he was busy setting my chains aflame.

" **Arcane Dragon Grand Impact"**

As I yelled he noticed the azure magical circle that was created beneath him and he jumped to the side before the ground that he was standing a second ago exploded in blue and violet particles with a hint of white.

"Whew." He sighed, closing his eyes as he was kneeling. He did a tumble to escape in time. "That was a close one." He smiled as he stood up, opening his eyes looking at me with a fiery expression. "I'm all fired up!" He said standing tall, still a few feet away from me.

After that he jumped in the air and I just observed his next move.

"The flames of my right hand…" He said, extending it to the side and setting it aflame. "…And the flames from my left one." He continued mirroring his right one with his left hand. " Put them together and you get…" He raised both of his hands just on top of his head.

" **Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame"** He yelled as a huge fireball formed in his two hands and threw it at me. It was too big, I couldn't evade that attack so I did the only thing I could. I braced myself for impact and faced it head on.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter"** I screamed as I used my hands for support for the shield around me.

The fireball made contact with the shield and unlike his 'Fire Breath', the strength behind this attack was too strong and the shield gave in and started to crack. Until it burst into millions of purplish particles that flew all around me and I landed on my butt. I stood up rubbing my behind from the fall. He had already taken his position after his attack. A smug smile plastered on his face showing his sharp canines. He stood there with crossed hands looking at me.

I grinned at him, showing my own pair of sharp teeth. I was a Dragon Slayer too.

"So we are taking out the big guns, huh?" I asked, rhetorically with a huge grin.

For a moment there I think I saw a sweat drop form on his features only to dissipate from the sheer heat he was radiating. He sure was 'fired up' for this battle, but I wasn't going to let him win just like that. We have been fighting long enough now and I can already feel the arcania in the air. The fight dragged out long enough, now I had the upper hand in power. I started to inhale the air and he just observed me.

"No fair! I don't have fire around here." He said as he charged at me.

I stopped my power up and I faced him. I extended both of my hands towards him and yelled the name of the spell.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast"** His eyes widened, he knew what I was about to do.

He quickly started getting out of the way but I continued my combo. In a swift motion I parted my hands to the sides and continued.

" **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle."**

The magical circle formed between him and the twin blast and even though the projectile grew in size as well as power Natsu was able to get out of the way fast enough... little did he know I had another trick up my sleeve. Before my projectile dissipated I pointed with the palm of my right hand towards it and I could see Natsu raising an eyebrow as my voice was heard throughout the crowd.

" **Swift Strike."**

As I did so the empowered 'Twin Blast' disappeared in a flash of white light and then reappeared behind Natsu.

He quickly turned and his eyes widened. He didn't expect the projectile to be behind him and he couldn't dodge in time, sending him flying right towards my direction. While he was still in air I charged at him.

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."**

The purplish twin blades formed around my two hands once more as I attacked with both of them in a swirling motion. Natsu hit the ground, hard.

Master then came in the middle and raised his staff. "K.O. Anora wins." And with that everyone exploded into a cheer, well those that won money from their betting anyways. Everyone started going inside the guild now that everything was over, only Gray, Lucy, Erza and Happy waited for us. Natsu sat, rubbing his head with one hand, with closed eyes and I neared him and extended him a hand with a grin.

He took it and smiled at me as well. I helped him get up as the others neared us. He was patting the back of his head with one hand.

"Dang I thought I could beat ya this time." He said, pouting a little.

"Come on Natsu." I said, smiling at him. "It was fun. I got to use my new move and maybe next time you can beat me, who knows." He looked joyfully at my words.

"Ya betcha. Next time I ain't gonna lose Anora." He said with an ear to ear grin.

"We'll see." I laughed lightly.

"A fine match." Erza patted us both.

"It was kinda lame." Gray commented.

"No one asked you, Ice popsicle." Natsu got in his face.

"I don't need you permission to get bored from you, Flame Brain." They were now headbutting themselves and giving each the stink eye.

One death glare from Erza later and they were both back at being besties, of course…

"Well I guess if we get past the beating up, it was kinda fun." Lucy joined in the conversation.

"Glad you finally got into the spirit of things Lucy." I smiled looking at her.

"Yeah, well I guess I gotta get used to this." She sighed, but then smiled.

"Indeed. But I must ask," Erza turned towards me as she contenued. "how did you redirect your attack?" She asked, curious. "Yeah, how did you do that sneaky trick, Anora?" Natsu also joined in, curious.

"Well, I figured that if i can 'blink' by moving my own Ethernanos, I thought, maybe I can do the same with my abilities. I've been practicing it for a while now but never really got the chance to use it. It's actually a lot harder than 'blinking' myself and that itself is quite hard. I can only do it if I've consumed enough arcania to give me a boost, because it really drains me. "

They all continued to comment in amazement and confusion, in Natsu's case, until Erza suggested.

"Let's get back into the guild. I think you two need some rest"

"Aye!" Happy perked near Lucy.

They all headed towards the guild but I stayed behind. Erza turned towards me while the others entered the guild.

"Aren't you coming Anora?" She asked.

"Nah, amma go home. I like fighting but I'm tired to the core right now. I'm gonna go get some rest." It was getting pretty late anyways.

"Ok. If you're sure." She said with a wave. "See you tomorrow." She continued as she entered the building herself. "See ya." I waved back at her before she go inside. I turned around and went to my apartment afterwards.

I went and took a bath. Nothing better for the muscles as some hot water! After I got out and put on my night T-shirt I was about to go write in my diary for the day when my stomach growled intensely.

"What!? But we ate so much just a few hours ago. How can you still want more?!" I said, patting my stomach. The growling didn't stop as I sighed in defeat. "Fine." I went to the fridge and ate some leftovers.

After that I went with my original plan and wrote down new things that I remembered from my old past, which for today were zero and in the second section I wrote of what happened today, ending with a sweet little note that wrote:

 _And Future Me, don't forget to buy the promised cake for Erza tomorrow or she will have your head. With love, Past Anora._

I laughed quietly at my own joke as I closed the violet book with the incantation and left it in the drawer of my desk. I got ready for bed as it was pretty late now. I went under the covers, nested myself comfortably and closed my eyes.

 _GRWRWRW_

I shot open my eyes.

' _Stomach! You better have an explanation for this!'_ Before I could even finish my thought, I bolted into a sitting position, intense coughing started and I could feel my throat getting sore.

' _Oh, no…'_ I sighed mentally, falling back on the bed. This wasn't happening. I wasn't going to be sick was I? I hated when that happened. And with those thoughts lingering in my mind, I whined a bit, praying not to be really sick and then drifted off to sleep.

 **Reply to a Guest:** _**FT Fan Girl**_ _ **: Yes, Anora does know Gildarts. She joined the guild one day after Natsu, so that means they have seen each other a few times. As of how will they interact you will just have to wait and see. :P**_

 **A/N: Anora? Sick? *le gasp* Is it true? We'll just have to find out in the next chapter now won't we…**

 **Anyways, sorry for the short delay, school just slapped me in the face the last couple of days. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was quite fun writing a duel between these two.**

 **See ya all in the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this chapter… It was supposed to come out yesterday but I started writing it and halfway through I didn't like how it was coming up and so I decided to rewrite it. Put that with some annoying school tests and we got ourselves a late update…**

 **Anyways, enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter Ten

The Calm Before the Storm

I woke up the next morning… well if around twelve o'clock can be considered morning, with a burning feeling in my throat and heavy coughing. It was around noon now. I've been lying in bed all day.

"Why…" I whine with a weak voice followed by intense coughing.

"Ughhhhh… I hate being sick in this world. At least in my old one I had a computer to pass the time with…" I sigh.

 _BOOOM_

The door burst open and I jump a little in my bed, going into a sitting position, looking at the door's direction, with shock evident in my eyes. Erza is standing there looking furious.

' _Oh yes… I need just that, an angry Erza… cus that's gonna make everything alright.'_ I sigh mentally.

"I'm glad to see you too." I say weakly falling back on my bed.

"So this is where you have been all morning, the Master requires your presence!" Erza's voice booms as she approaches me. "What have you been doing all day?"

I look at her, raising an eyebrow. Surely she at least sees how bad I look…

"I think I caught something from the last mission and now I'm really sick. I've been lying in bed all day." I say seriously. "Why does the Master need me anyways?" I look at her curiously.

"Natsu and Lucy stole an S class quest and we need to bring them back. You are an S class wizard so it is your duty to come with me and bring them back!" Erza said rising a fist.

"When did they leave?" I asked while suppressing a mild headache.

"Presumably, last night. Gray volunteered to go after them this morning, but we both know he won't be able to bring them back. It's more likely he will continue with them…" She informed me.

"Why are you so worried anyways? You know those three can pull it off." I said closing my eyes. It was true. They were tough enough even though they weren't S class.

"It's not about that!" Erza said forming a fist with her right hand in front of her face and with and angry glare declared. "They broke the guild's rules and they must be punished for it!"

I sighed. _'That's Erza for you…'_

"Which quest did they get anyway?" I asked, but secretly I already knew.

' _To break the curse on Galuna island…'_

"To break the curse on Galuna island!" Erza confirmed.

' _Dang it, the next major event and I'm in bed…UGH the timing couldn't have been better.'_ I thought, irritated.

"Sorry Erza, but I'm going to have to pass this one up. I'm in no condition to fight, let alone go on an S rank quest. Guess you're gonna have to go after them alone…" I said, sitting once more on my bed and looking at her seriously.

She studied me for a bit. "Very well. It's true, you won't be able to fight in this condition. Then I'll just have to go and fetch them myself." She said turning towards the door. "Take care while we are gone." And with that, she exited.

I fell on the bed once more and sighed heavily. I was missing out on all the fun because I had to get this nasty flue thingy.

' _I should probably go to the guild and ask for Porlyusica. Maybe I'll get better faster if she helps.'_ And with that I got out of bed, got dressed in my favourite dress and went to the guild.

* * *

By the time the guys were back I was up and kicking with full force. They were gone for a few days and when they came back their punishment came in the form of a request which swapped their bodies… After the Master revealed that it's not permanent and that it was just their punishment everyone relaxed and the spell was lifted after a day.

Everything became normal again. We even went on another mission again. It was supposed to be Lucy's solo mission but we tagged along like the good friends we are. It was some mission to get a wimp back to this creepy, old house. We stayed in a nearby hotel for the night after we finished the job. I couldn't sleep from nightmares so I went to the balcony and to my surprise I met Lucy there with the same problem.

So we just stayed there talking and getting to know each other. She was actually really sweet. I never did get a chance to talk properly to her since we met and this was refreshing to say the least. We got to know each other a bit more that night. Apparently Mira told her about me being like Natsu so, of course she asked me about dad and all that. She told me more about her self and how she met with her spirits. It was a nice conversation.

After our chat we both went to bed and at least I, slept well for the night. I hope Lucy did too. And now here we are… Walking back through Magnolia, early in the morning… YAY! If I had my way I would still be in bed but _noooooo_ , Erza had to come in and burst down my room's door cus I wanted five more minutes in bed.

Currently we were goofing off with one another, enjoying our walk back to the guild. That's when we noticed that people started looking at us with pity and some even whispered to each other. With my sharp hearing I could hear whispers like "Are those Fairy Tail wizards?" and "I feel so bad for them…". It seemed that Natsu heard them as well because he became tense like me. And that's when we saw it… Our guild… Broken… Metal rods piercing through the walls and roof.

I knew quite well who did this… Phantom Lord. So we were already to that point, huh? Even though I knew it was coming I couldn't stop the feeling of rage building up in me. That was my home, the one I live in for so long and now it lay there in shambles. Mira came from behind us and escorted us to the basement where everyone was gathered until everything was resolved. She explained the situation and told us how they attacked at night, while no one was around to do anything.

We conversed with the Master over the situation but we got to nowhere. He told us just to leave it be. Natsu, of course, disagreed with him entirely but the Master shut him up and ended the conversation permanently.

For the rest of the day everyone was lost in thought. Thinking what they want to do or trying to punch something or trying to get themselves drunk. It was already nearing the end of the day and we decided our team should stick together so we crashed at Lucy's place. We totally asked her by the way…

And that's how we got in our current situation. Gray laying on Lucy's bed, Natsu, Plue and Happy nomming on some sweets they found and of course me and Erza, being the mature girls we are… were searching through Lucy's underwear drawer.

Our eyes met with some, rather interesting set of panties…

"I can't believe that you'd actually wear something like this Lucy…" Erza said with sweat on her forehead, looking intensely at the panties, me right beside her, mirroring her expression.

"I need some shut eye so can you guys keep it down?" Gray asked, irritated.

"You guys are taking this 'make yourself at home' thing a little too far." Lucy said, embarrassed.

"Oh lighten up Lucy, it's gonna be like a slumber party." I went to her and put an arm around her shoulder, meeting her face with a wide smile.

Erza suddenly turned around, startling everyone in the room with her intense gaze and you could practically hear a sound effect from a horror movie. "We have a serious problem here!" She said seriously. And then the mood change just like that. "You boys' hygiene. I refuse to sleep in a room that reeks of sweat." She said with arms on her hips.

"I don't wanna take a bath right now." Natsu moaned. "But I just got in bed…" Gray defended.

"Oh no you don't…" I said, looking at them. "Erza is right, I ain't sleeping in this room while the two of you reek. You two can kill a normal nose and mine will probably explode if I keep this up all night."

Erza suddenly gripped them both on the shoulder. "Come on boys, do we have to take a bath together like when we did when we were kids?" Erza asked, teasingly and I just looked at their crestfallen features and suppressed a smirk.

' _I'm all up for teasing!'_

"Yay! Just like old times. It's gonna be so fun. Count me in." I said and just laughed when their faces turned the shade of Erza's hair.

"What kind of relationship do you guys have?!" Lucy shrieked, embarrassed. "They are the strongest team!" Happy told her, trying not to laugh hard. "More like the strangest team!" She said and we all laughed.

Afterwards we all took a bath. First was Erza, then me, then Lucy. We couldn't get the boys to do it after all and my nose was screaming bloody murder. Oh, I'm so gonna get them for this. Natsu was sleeping on the table, Gray was reading something, sitting on a chair near the desk and me and Erza were in towels, sitting on the bed and drying ourselves.

When Lucy came out of the bath and saw the boring atmosphere, she became gloomy.

"I'm all done with my bath." Lucy announced. "Wanna take a spot Natsu?" She was met with snoring. "Gray?" He only let out a noise to decline.

"You should, it was so relaxing." Erza commentated.

"True…" I sighed in delight. "Nothing like a hot bath after a tiresome day."

"Geeez… I'm glad you are all feeling so comfortable here." Lucy sighed.

"I suppose, I should get dressed." Erza perked near me and then reequipped in a light purple pajamas with violet crosses over it. "Is this more appropriate?" She asked with a smirk.

"Is that how you change your clothes?" Lucy asked, astonished. Then she looked at me. "Oh Anora, do you have anything to wear?" she asked.

"Shoot… I forgot to bring some." I said to no one in particular.

"Don't worry I can lend you some." Lucy suggested.

"Nah, don't worry about it." She looked at me, confusion plastered on her face. "Be right back." I said as I thought of 'blinking' to my apartment, next door and just like that I was in my room. I quickly changed and ran towards Lucy's apartment, now dressed in a light blue T-shirt with a dragon symbol on the chest area and short violet leggings. I entered through the window startling them.

"I'm back." I announced.

"Where did you run off to? You just disappeared." Lucy asked, confused once again.

"I went to change. You do know I live next door right?" I asked with a smirk.

"Really!? We are neighbors?" Lucy asked with a wide smile. "Hell yeah, neighbor!" I said with a wink.

"I need to come over to see it sometime."

"Sure thing. I'd like the company." I smiled brightly at her.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, turning to the others, curious. Natsu was still sleeping on the table and Gray was still reading.

Lucy turned to Erza, who was sitting on the bed at the moment and then to me. "Do you know why Phantom attacked us like that?"

"Afraid not." Erza started.

"They have been annoying in the past and they have made some trouble for us, but nothing too serious." I continued.

"Yeah, they never attemted something of this scale before." Erza confirmed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

Natsu was suddenly awake. "If Gramps wasn't so scared of them we could wipe these punks once and for all." He grumbled, irritated.

"Since when are you awake?" Lucy turned to him with a sweat drop.

"Come on, you know Master isn't afraid of them, Natsu. You seem to be forgetting he is one of the ten wizard saints." Gray said, waving the reading material in his hand.

Lucy suddenly jumped, embarrassed and snatched the pieces of paper from him. "No one gave you permission to read that!" She yelled as she kept the pieces tightly around her arms.

"You can't snatch it out of my hands without at least telling me what happens next." Gray pouted.

"Yes, I can." Lucy defended. "I promised Levy she is the first one to read it so you're just gonna have to wait till then."

Erza just extended her hand towards Lucy mimicking a demand.

"You are not getting it either!" Lucy yelled.

I thought about my book and how I didn't want anyone from this world seeing it. "Come on guys, she is entitled to her privacy." Everyone stared at me after that sentence.

"Thank you." She said playfully. "One person that understands!"

"So what's with these ten wizard saints anyways?" Lucy asked, curious.

"It's an honor bestowed by the Magic Council. An extremely coveted title, shared by the ten most powerful wizards on the continent." Erza explained calmly.

"Really?" Lucy perked, shock and astonishment plastered on her face.

"Phantom Lord's guild master, Jose is also one of them." Happy commented on the conversation.

I had already taken a seat next to Erza and listened in on their conversation when suddenly Natsu slammed his palm on the table, startling everyone. "He is afraid!" He said, holding a fist and an angry glare. "He is scared that Phantom has too many members for us to handle!"

"Could you please use your inside voice?" Lucy tried to calm him down. Erza stood up with crossed hands and Gray looked towards him. I continued to sit on the end of the bed and looked him straight in the eye.

"That's not true, Natsu, and you know it. If Gramps had the opportunity he would kick their whole guild's butt on his own but the stupid laws restrict him." I finished my statement and he pouted.

"Anora is right! It's just like Master and Mira said. The consequences of us going to war with Phantom are nowhere near worth the fight. The order of the magical world is at stake here." Gray scolded.

"But I don't understand why, are they that strong?" Lucy thought out loud.

"Pft…They got nothing on us, we could take those clowns." Natsu told her with a smirk.

"Usually I would agree with you Natsu but we can't underestimate them." He just mumbled and crossed his hands.

"True." Erza announced. "If we engage them in battle neither guild would survive. Their strength equals ours." She then continued to explain about their Master, Jose, about the elemental four and the other dragon slayer at their disposal… The Iron Dragon Slayer – Gajeel.

"They've got a Dragon Slayer too? I thought Anora and Natsu were the only ones?" Lucy asked distressed. Natsu just huffed and I closed my eyes.

"So if he is the Iron Dragon Slayer, does that means he eats iron?" She asked, curiously.

"Most likely." I answered shortly.

"Wait, then what do you consume Anora?" She asked me. I opened my eyes and looked at her. "I eat a bunch of empowered Ethernanos from the air called arcania. Long story short, the longer someone battles with me or around me, the more they give me resources with which I can power up to kick their butts." I answered, grinning a toothy grin from ear to ear.

"I believe it's time to rest now." Erza suggested from the side.

"Yeah, I'm pretty beat." I confirmed, stretching and yawning.

The others all agreed.

"But were will everyone sleep?" Lucy asked concerned.

"No worries, I got some sleeping bags with me Lucy." The red head said as she went to get two sleeping bags from her luggage.

"Ok so there is one bed, two sleeping bags and one couch. I call dibs on the bed." I said excitedly, falling backwards from my sitting position on the bed.

"That's not fair Anora." Erza said calmly. "We are going to draw sticks for it."

"Fine…" I grumbled underneath my breath, getting up.

We quickly found five sticks, one shorter than the others.

"Ok, the short one goes to the couch." Erza said and we all nodded. We were standing in a half circle around Erza now, awaiting for the sticks to be picked.

We all picked one and Natsu had the short end.

"Eh, it ain't so bad." He said as he practically jumped onto the couch and not long after, snoring could be heard. I chuckled lightly. He needs to teach me how to fall asleep so fast.

Erza broke the smaller one in half.

"Ok, now the two shorter get the sleeping bags. The rest get the bed." Erza said with her commanding voice.

Me and Lucy got the short end this time. I laughed lightly as Lucy was giving her charming goodbyes to her bed. But what got me howling on the floor was Gray's expression when he found out that he was going to share a bed with Erza. Best part was when she put an arm around his shoulder and pushed him closer to her or rather her chest and then proceeded to calm him in her 'Erza way'.

"Oh come now Gray, there is no need to shy away." And she practically tossed him on the bed going next to him. I detected a faint "Help me" coming from him, with my dragon senses and I chuckled underneath my breath.

I turned towards Lucy, who turned off the lights.

"Guess we are sharing the floor together." I said quietly with a smile as the others were already asleep or about to be.

"Guess so." She confirmed as we finished, readying the sleeping bags.

We lay in them as we were about to fall asleep.

"Night everyone." I perked an received snoring, coming from the couch as my answer and a "goodnight", coming from the bed and the sleeping bag next to me.

Everyone was fast asleep in a moment and I was left staring a hole through the ceiling. I couldn't sleep because something was nagging me the whole night. I had the feeling that I was forgetting something and what worried me was the fact that I knew it was somehow connected to the events that are about to unfold.

I don't quite remember how things worked out around this part of the timeline. I just remember a few things. Some important others not. The most important though was the fact that I knew what they were after and I didn't say anything. Why? Because, even though Lucy suffers at their hands, if I tell them how to avoid the situation, many other things will happen as well.

For one they will start asking me how I knew this. Then there is the fact that I know that Lucy actually learns to be stronger from this even, so if I prevent it, I will potentially rob them from the experience that will be needed further on in the future. I cannot act irrationally. They are like my family and I love them but as far as I know in the show no one dies and that is certain. If I meddle with the timeline, there is no telling what could happen.

I sighed mentally. All this was too much. One slip and I might regret everything. What if after a time they find out I've know all along what will happen? They'll probably hate me for not telling them.

I looked around the room and my eyes stopped on a pair of brown ones. I had already adjusted to the darkness and my heightened senses gave me the ability to further see in the dark so I could see them petty clear. Then their owner spoke in a whisper.

"Having trouble sleeping again?" Lucy asked me gently.

"Yeah…" I mumbled, trying to find a good way to sleep in.

"Another nightmare?" She looked at me concerned.

"Nah, just thinking that's all." I answered, really quietly, trying not to wake the rest.

"What about?" She asked me.

"Just the things that are going on right now." I sighed. "It's just too much to take in, ya know?"

She nodded. "Well with what I've seen, Fairy Tail can pull through this, no big deal and I've seen you in action Anora, you don't need to worry about a thing." She smiled gently at me. "Although I'm not gonna lie, it is a bit scary."

I smiled at her. "You don't need to be scared Lucy. Nothing will happen to you while you are with us. That's why we are a team, right?" She nodded, with a wide smile. "Ok, let's get some rest now. No one knows what tomorrow will bring." I said closing my eyes.

"Yeah… G'night." She said, closing her own eyes.

"Night…" I mumbled.

The next day we all woke up and decided to go to the guild. We went through Magnolia's Southgate park.

"I wonder how long the repair will take…" I asked, curious.

"If we work hard it might be around a week before we are done." Answered Erza.

"Hey why are all the people gathering around the main tree?" Lucy asked, pointing to the group of people.

"Let's check it out." Gray added and with that we went towards the crowd. Everyone was gasping. Mouths opened and shock on their features. When we saw the scenery we all tensed.

"Move aside we are from their guild." Erza commanded pushing aside the bystanders. When we saw the full picture I didn't know how to feel. It was a mixture of shock and rage. So much rage as if I was experiencing the day my favourite dress that I was currently in, being stolen all over again.

Levy, Jet and Droy were hanging off of the tree, their hands pinned to the sides with metal straps, the mark of Phantom Lord drawn on them. I wanted to punch someone so bad… and I knew exactly who. This was the thing I forgot last night, I could have prevented this much at least…

 _'Stupid idiot.'_ I cursed mentally. _'If only I remembered sooner that Gajeel wasn't finished I could have prevented this...'_

I looked at Natsu who was seething with rage like me, ready to burn down to ashes anyone who would show his face on the crime scene.

I put an arm on his shoulder and tried to calm him down but to no avail. I myself wasn't holding up better.

Master Makarov slowly walked behind us with his Wizard Saint robe and his staff.

"Master..." Erza said weakly with a pleading voice.

"We can't let them get away with this..." Gray said, clenching his fist.

I was looking at the ground at the moment, my hair shadowing my eyes. "They will pay for this..." I mumbled.

Makarov walked towards the tree, taking in the sight and lowered his head to the ground. "I can take our headquarters being reduced to rubble. But I will not let harm come to my children without taking revenge." He yelled the last part, snapping the staff he held in two.

"We have no choice but to go to war!"

 **A/N: So idk how to feel about this chapter. I like how it came up in the end so that's good I guess, so review and tell me what you think. Next time we go to war vs Phantom and after that, the part that I am most excited about – the Tower of Heaven.**

 **Until then, see ya guys in the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11: Battle of Blood and Tears

**A/N: Just to let you guys know, I found a mistake on my part in the previous chapter that I fixed. While writing this chapter I remembered that Lucy kept her identity a secret so the 'night talk' scene in the 10th chapter was changed a bit.**

 **Anyways, enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Eleven

Battle of Blood and Tears

Almost every single guild member was now at the front gates of Phantom Lord. Everyone was charging at the gate and just like that it flew off.

"Fairy Tail's come calling!" Master yelled as everyone around him cheered and went on the offencive.

Natsu throwing flames everywhere, Gray turning everything to ice, Erza being well… Erza. Everyone was blasting Phantom's members left and right. Me being me, of course joined in too.

" **Arcane Dragon Spectacle!"** I yelled as I crossed my hands. Blue-violet arrows starting to form over my enemies and as I gave the command and the projectiles flung towards the targets, obliterating anyone that stood in the attack's way.

In all the commotion though, I was searching for my real target. And then I found him. The black figure that observed the fight from above, standing tall on the rafters of the building. He didn't seem to notice me so I quickly thought of the space behind him and how I was there.

' _Blink.'_

I was standing right behind him. He didn't even notice me before I spoke.

"You must be the one that broke our guild, right? The one they call Black Steel Gajeel." I taunted, balancing on the rafters underneath my feat. They were narrow and I didn't want to fall. I had every intent to fight here and now. I crossed my hands as he picked my words and turned to face me. We had some distance between us so he wouldn't be able to attack me directly.

He turned with his own hands crossed over his chest, his red eyes glowing brightly. "So what? You came to scold me? Well boohoo. Yeah I'm the one that broke you're little guild to pieces." He said smirking.

"I came here to do more than to scold you." I glared at him, my hands clenching into fists at the sides. "I'm Anora, Fairy Tail's Arcane Dragon Slayer and I'm going to smack the heck out of you." I said as I lunged towards him.

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** I yelled, gripping tightly my ethereal twin blades as I attacked in a swirling motion. His eyes widened from the sudden attack but he jumped back in time to evade it.

When he landed he smirked at me and punched the air as if to strike it, but instead his arm started to stretch forward, towards me, turning into a metallic rod. I couldn't dodge by jumping back so instead I jumped to a different rafter. He continued to attack me in the same manner until I stopped and tried to take one of his attacks head on.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter"** I said as I extended my hands to support the ethereal shield around me. The metal club hit it straight in the center but I didn't budge. The attack was strong but it wasn't something I couldn't handle.

"Huh… Not bad, girlie." He said tauntingly. I snapped at that. Who is he calling 'girlie' ? I quickly broke the shield making his balance waver as his metallic rod of a hand was still pressed to the solid form in the air. While he was distracted in trying to regain balance I attacked.

"You will soon find that this 'girlie' is more than a match for you!"

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast"** I yelled as the lights started dancing around each other mid air, shooting towards Gajeel. He was quick on his footwork though and he was able to regain balance fast enough to jump to a nearby rafter before he was struck by the projectile.

"I find that hard to believe." He said as he swung towards me with his iron club.

I scoffed as I dodged the attack swiftly. He continued his barrage of attacks while I continued dodging them, getting closer to him every time.

"You destroyed our guild." I yelled as I jumped on another rafter to dodge an incoming attack. "You hurt Levy, one of my best friends and her team." I huffed as I ducked to dodge the next attack. He was getting irritated by this. I continued to move towards him. "And I'll make you pay for that!" I yelled as I rushed towards him.

" **Arcane Dragon's Claw"** I said as my hands turned into purplish ethereal claws and I tried to attack. I struck at his face and he leaned to the side trying to uppercut me but I backed out and jumped in the air.

" **Arcane Dragon Grand Impact!"** I yelled putting my hands to one another as a magical circle appeared underneath him. In an instant the magical circle burst into an explosion of violet and blue light but he was able to dodge it.

"Hah." He huffed mockingly, standing tall not far away from me. "The rumors were true. You really are tough as nails, girlie." I gritted my teeth at the remark. "That probably would have hurt if you were actually able to hit me. So… is that all you got?" He smirked at me.

"I'm just warming up." I said as the familiar light formed around my right hand. "You're going down Gajeel!" I yelled as I swiped my right hand in his general direction.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains"**

As I said the spell purplish chains started flying towards him. "I'd like to see you try!" He mocked as he dodged. I was getting irritated at this point. I couldn't hit him. He was too fast. No… that was not it. My attacks we just too straight forward and predictable. I need a plan if I'm going to defeat him. At that point the whole building shook and I waved my hands trying to regain balance on the piece of wood I was standing on. That was probably the master, showing them whose boss. I focused on the battle.

' _I already feel the surge of power coming from the arcania in the air but if I perform my finishing move he is sure to dodge it... Then I'll try something with less power and more deception behind it.'_ I thought as my opponent was done with the chains.

"Pfff, I heard you were able to defeat the Salamander." He taunted, coming towards me with a menacing grin. "He must be even more pathetic than you if he allowed that." He continued as he raised his hand. "Let me show you how it's done!" He yelled and before I could realize what he was doing, his hand had turned into a chainsaw-like blade at the ready.

" **Iron Dragon's Sword!"** He shouted and struck towards me. I barely dashed to a nearby rafter as the one I was standing not so long ago was broken to pieces.

He continued his attack but I was dead set on ending this battle here and now and I knew the perfect way to do it. As he swung his sword towards me horizontally I jumped over it and swiped my hand at it.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains."** I said and ethereal chainst burst from around my form flying towards the sword. **"Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle."** I continued the combo. As the chains passed throught the magical circle each one split into two more and became bigger and stronger. He did not expect the attack and the chains quickly engulfed his sword of a hand and bound it to the wooden rafter below our feet. He growled at me but I ignored him.

I set my eyes on him as I yelled.

" **Arcane Dragon Roar!"** His eyes widened at my words as the violet and blue light started going towards him, while he was unable to move, his sword hand stuck to the rafter. So he countered with his own bellow.

" **Iron Dragon Roar."** As he yelled, shrapnel of metal started flying towards the light of my roar. The both of them collided in the middle, dissipating mid air but I didn't hesitate to continue while he was still down.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast."** At this point I was pulsing with magical energy and my attacks had grown in strength. If we kept this up, victory was sure to be mine.

As he saw the projectile closing in on him he was finally able to free his hand from my chains and then he used the sword to shield himself from the attack. That was my queue.

" **Swift Strike."** I pointed towards my projectile and Gajeel's eyes narrowed as he saw it disappear in a white light. As if he sensed that it formed behind him, he ducked but I was counting on that.

"Try to dodge this while you are crouching! **Arcane Dragon Spectacle"** The arrows quickly formed around mine and his form as my hands crossed and once I expanded them the arrows flew towards my opponent. He only smirked and before I could comprehend what happened I was sent flying towards the ground of the guild. While I was falling I looked up at my enemy covered in metal scales. He just stood there with crossed arms and a menacing smirk.

He had taken the blast head on and it hadn't even phased him. Time seemed to slow down as I was falling. This was gonna hurt.

' _Damn it. I failed. And now the floor is gonna be my punisher.'_ I closed my eyes to the thought as I prepared for the impact… that never came. I felt hands around my body.

"Gotcha!" Was all I heard before opening my eyes and seeing that Natsu had caught me. He put me down.

"Thanks." I thanked for the save. He just nodded. At this point I saw the chaos that was everywhere. I guess I got a bit carried away up there because I wasn't paying any attention on what was happening below me. I looked up to where Gajeel was and Natsu followed my eyes. We were ready to engage him but suddenly a strong crash was heard behind us. Our attention was now directed at Master Makarov, who was lying on the ground with every member of Fairy Tail surrounding him. I could hear someone crying from the top of the tower but I payed no attention to it.

Natsu, I and everyone else was shocked to find him in that state.

"It's gramps!" Natsu panicked.

"Is he ok?!" Gray asked frantically.

"Master!" Erza tried to make him stand.

"My magic… it's gone…" The Master told us, weakly.

"Come on gramps, you can pull through this!" Natsu encouraged.

The situation was bad. With Makarov lying defeated in the middle of the enemy guild, our moral dropped dangerously low. The enemy on the other hand were thrilled at the sign of their upcoming victory so they charged towards us ruthlessly.

"Defend the Master!" I yelled as everyone started fighting again. This time though the enemy was able to get through to us. We were going to lose the fight if it kept up like this.

Erza was kneeling near the Master and I was next to her.

"Erza…" I tried to start, looking at her crestfallen features. She was looking at the weak form of Makarov, her hair hiding her face.

Suddenly she stood up and shouted.

"Everyone back to the guild! We must retreat at once!" She ordered. Everyone protested but deep down we all knew that this was the right choice, so we sounded the retreat. I could hear Gajeel with my heightened hearing mocking us, while talking to someone, when suddenly, I heard him say something about Lucy and the other person confirmed that she was captured. I looked towards them with a shocked expression. They had already gotten her? I saw Natsu between the crowd, staring daggers at the same place I was. He heard them as well. He looked towards me and I nodded as we separated from the main group with Happy. As the members of our guild were exiting Phantom Lord's guild the enemy followed them but me and Natsu got a hold of one person before the rest chased after our comrades.

Natsu's eyes were glowing like a demon's. He was glaring so hard at the person that I was sure that the man was going to burst into flames any moment. The pink haired boy just held him by his shirt as the man trembled in fear as realization hit him.

"S-Salamander…" He stuttered.

"You got it buddy!" Natsu growled. "We need to chat."

He started dragging the man out of the guild and towards a huge building that was seen in the distance and I followed after him.

"Ok, start talkin' !" Natsu demanded, his voice threatening. "Where is Lucy?"

"How should I know? I don't know any Luc…" Before he could even finish his sentence he was set aflame. The fire was not hot enough to burn him alive but strong enough to make him feel agonizing pain.

"Start talkin' " Natsu repeated himself with a growl.

"I know nothing dude! I'm serious dude! Now put out the fire!" He pleaded.

"If you Phantom guys hurt another one of my friends." Natsu looked with a deathly glare over his shoulder towards the man, as he was still dragging him through the rough mountain terrain. "I swear I'll burn every single one of you to a pile of ashes." He continued and the man screamed in agony as the flames around him became hotter.

"You better do it. He is not messing around." I said as I closed my eyes and crossed my hands at the man as I was walking near him.

"I'm telling ya people! I've never heard of this Lucy chick. If I knew where was she I would have told you by now!" He yelled desperately.

"Funny you should say that because I was just thinking that I should have burned you to a crisp by now!" Natsu said coldly as he received an evil "Aye!" from Happy. He was good at intimidation I'll give 'em that.

"Our HQ is up ahead! If I had to guess I'd say they probably got her locked up there." He pleaded again, his eyes watering.

"You should've said that in the first place!" I yelled at him. "Aye!" Happy confirmed.

"Now we know where to search, let's not waste any more time, we gotta find Lucy and fast." I said as I grabbed Natsu by the shoulder.

"Yeah, you're right…" He said sadly. I smirked. He already had feelings for Lucy, the goof. He may have fooled all the others with his 'I'm doing this because they are my comrades' behaviour and that is actually not a lie but his eyes betrayed his intentions this time. He was genuinely worried. In my old life I was shipping the two harder than… I don't even know what to compare it to. Let's just say that by the end of this if they were not together, my name is not to be Anora!

I grabbed him by the hand. "Leave that poor bastard here, he is just gonna slow us down." I pointed towards the now uncontrollably crying man on the ground.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." He said as we started running towards Phantom's HQ. We were nearing a tower when something caught our attention. It was Lucy who was free falling towards the ground with huge speed. Natsu's eyes widened and he ran so fast towards her that I couldn't keep up even the slightest. Then I heard Lucy scream mid air.

"NATSUUUUUU!" She yelled as she was falling towards the ground.

"LUCEEEEEEEE!" He yelled, extending his hand towards her as he jumped with a force that made the eath beneath him crack and tremble. His eyes were full of determination and resolve as he flew towards her and caught her mid air, right before she hit the ground. But now they were heading towards a huge stone wall a little too fast.

' _Blink'_

And just like that I was in the air just in front of them to intercept them from crushing into the wall. Needless to say that I didn't plan this very well and as they collided with my body, we fell to the ground. Both of them landed on top of me.

"I regret… everything…" I groaned underneath them, my body aching from the impact.

Happy was floating over us. "Woah, it's raining Luces." He joked but I could only groan.

"Oah, I made it just in time…" Natsu said, muffled because his mouth was pressed to Lucy's chest.

"Yeah, thank you… I knew you would save me." Lucy said with sadness in her voice.

"Guys… I know it's all fun and 'yay we did it' up there but can you please… maybe, get off of me." I said half-shouting the last part.

"Oh sorry!" They both stood up from me and then Natsu helped me up. He then turned to Lucy and started removing the rope around her hands.

"There you go." He said as he was finished. "Are you ok?" He asked, concerned.

She nodded weakly. "Mh, I think so…" She said as she was rubbing her hands where the rope was tied.

"That's good news. Ok, we better head back to the guild." Happy commented.

"WHAT!? That's their headquarters" Natsu yelled as he pointed towards the tower. "Let's get em!"

He and Happy continued to argue. Natsu saying that we can take them here and now while Happy was arguing that they should get back to the guild. I was silently observing Lucy who was kneeling in the dirt with her back to us. And suddenly she slowly started crying to Natsu and Happy's bickering. My heart fell down and I gave the boys a death glare demanding silently that they stop. They looked at me terrified but were soon brought back to Earth by Lucy's quiet sobs.

"I'm sorry." Lucy said, covering her eyes with her long blonde hair.

"All of this… Everything… It's my fault." She continued through sobs. "But I don't want to leave! I want to stay with you guys." She said as she hiccupped and turned towards us. "Cus I love being in Fairy Tail."

As I looked at her face filled with tears, I felt so guilty. It was all my fault because I didn't warn her… And yet I couldn't tell them… I felt like a miserable and selfish person. I was too afraid to act from fear of the consequences and even when I knew that, I didn't dare to change that fact. 'It's better this way' I told myself. I wasn't totally wrong though. Everyone does survive, mostly when I'm out of the picture and I swore that no one is going to die because of me.

Lucy was now covering her eyes with her hands, crying.

"Hey what's wrong. You're crying. Why are you upset?" Natsu panicked. "You can tell us." Happy told her gently. I went behind Natsu and slapped him lightly on the head.

He rubbed the place where I hit him and then turned towards me. "What was that for?!" He whispered.

"She is obviously distraught over something you dolt! Go comfort her." I whispered as well, glared at him.

"You're a girl! You know how this works better than me!" He said flustered, but was cut short by my death glare. He then turned towards Lucy.

"…uh, you are one of us Luce. You don't have to leave." He tried to tell her but she continued to cry.

"Come on, let's go back to the guild." Happy suggested.

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah ok, I guess we ought to." He turned towards the crying girl and went to her kneeling form. "Come on Luce, time to get up." He tried to make her stand up.

"Don't worry Lucy. We are going home now. You ain't leaving us and we ain't giving up on you so easily either." I tried to encourage her as Natsu was helping her up.

"Don't be so rough Natsu!" Happy perked. "Remember, girls are delicate." He said gently.

"How about I carry you on my back? Is that cool with you?" Natsu suggested and her crying only got worse.

"Awwww, look what you did! You made the poor girl cry again." Happy said flatly.

"I was just trying to help!" Natsu protested but I looked at them and silently told them to not do this right now and they nodded in response.

"Come on, Luce, let's go home." I smiled at her as Natsu lifted her on his back. We jogged back to the guild. Natsu carrying Lucy on his back as she was silently crying. We didn't talk on our way back to the guild, leaving the poor girl to her thoughts. Mid way she fell asleep on Natsu's back and I couldn't help but grin mischievously from the scene before me. They looked so cute like that.

We finally reached the guild and we went straight to the basement where everyone was licking their wounds from the fight. We were greeted with delight since they thought that we were captured. We ensured them that nothing like that happened and that we even saved Lucy. No one knew that she was kidnapped except the two of us, so everyone got about asking if she was ok before I landed a deadly glare towards them telling them to shut it and let the girl sleep. It was too late though as the girl stirred awake and hopped of off Natsu. She was still depressed but was able to explain to us why they had targeted her. She was from a noble family and she was rich and her father wanted her back so he hired Phantom to do the job. Needless to say everyone's mouth was agape. But we decided to drop the topic for now and let her be.

After that we headed towards the back of the room and we met up with Gray and Elfman. Lucy sat on a nearby barrel. I went to her and grabbed her by the shoulder lightly.

"How are you feeling Lucy?" I asked her with a gentle smile. The boys turned towards us breaking their conversation to see what she is going to answer.

"I'm fine for the most part." She answered sadly. I decided to drop it and let her be with her thoughts. Natsu leaned on the wall next to her and Gray and Elfman started chatting between each other. We observed as the guild was preparing for another attack. Lucy looked even more depressed. Gray noticed and tried to cheer her up.

"Don't worry. We'll get em back for this." Grey said. She lowered her head and put her hands between her knees.

"I know, I'm not worried about that… It's just… all my fault." She said slowly.

"Being targeted by dangerous people is just one of the downsides of being rich." Elfman said with crossed arms from the side. "At least you are protected by a real man! Like me!" He said with a wide grin and me and Gray scolded him.

"I gotta say, I was shocked when I heard the news. Why did you hide the truth from us Lucy?" Happy asked curiously.

Everyone turned to listen to her, Natsu even stopped leaning on the wall and stepped forward with crossed arms.

"I wasn't trying to hide anything." Lucy defended. "I mean there is no way to bring up the fact that I'm a runaway in casual conversation. I've been gone for a year and my father hasn't cared. Now all of a sudden he wants me to come home? He's done all those horrible things just to get me back. I hate his guts!" She yelled the last part. "Still… if I hadn't ran away in the first place, none of this would have happened." She continued, looking down. Elfman commented stupidly and he and Grey started bickering again. I slapped myself on the forehead and then I turned to Lucy with crossed hands and a serious expression.

"You're right." Everyone looked towards me with shock, Lucy with a pained expression. "All of this happened because you ran away." She lowered her head and Natsu screamed at me.

"Anora!" He yelled at me and clenched his fists but I ignored him.

"Because you ran away you found Natsu. You joined Fairy Tail." Lucy looked up at me and Natsu relaxed. "You met a whole bunch of people that love you for who you are. You went on adventures and you laughed and fought with us. Sure a few bad things happened but what's life without bad moments?" I continued giving her a huge grin. "So you are correct Lucy. None of this would have happened if you hadn't escaped. Are you so sure it's such a bad thing?"

She looked at me with pain in her eyes. "No... It's not bad at all. But… I'm the one who brought pain to the guild. And it's all because of my selfish choices. I'm so very sorry… I'm just gonna go back home and hopefully all this will be over with." She said with a hoarse voice. Natsu looked at her.

"I don't know about that…" He said, giving her a huge grin. "I can't see ya playing the part of the pretty princess, sitting around in your mansion. Laughing with us in this filthy guild hall, going on adventures even though you freak out all the time, that's who you really are." He continued and Lucy looked at him with wide eyes but the traces of pain were almost gone.

"You said you wanted to stay with us, right?" He said seriously. "Why would you ever go back to the place you ran away from." She gasped. "Come on, who are you trying to kid here. You are Lucy of Fairy Tail, no more running cus you belong here with us." She started crying in the end.

Gray and Elfman panicked and tried to calm her down.

"Sorry." She mumbled and I rubbed her back to calm her.

Suddenly the earth began to shake.

"What's going on." Gray asked as we tried to maintain balance. Everyone ran outside to see what was causing all the commotion. What we saw shocked us. It was Phantom's HQ walking towards our guild. Yes, walking! It had spider-like metal legs and it was approaching Magnolia from the nearby lake.

"What is that thing?!" Natsu yelled pointing at it. Everyone panicked. Erza came out of nowhere, covered only in a towel.

"I never anticipated this, I didn't know they would go to such extremes to attack us." She said, looking at the ginormous contraption. Suddenly the castle stopped in the middle of lake. And just like that a huge cannon appeared in the front charging a magical attack. Erza turned towards us as she stepped forward.

"RUN! Get out of here now!" She yelled and charged towards the spot between the guild and the blast. Everyone tried to stop her but she ignored them and reequipped into here adamantine armor with two halves of a single, huge shield in both her hands.

"I'm going to protect the guild hall!" She said calmly. Everyone was shocked. "Now stay back!" She commanded as the cannon was nearly done charging. Gray was stopping Natsu from running towards her with a headlock. Everyone thought that she wasn't going to hold it on her own. In the blink of an eye I was beside her.

"Anora what are you doing here!" She yelled at me.

"We got a better chance if we hold together." I said not giving her a chance to respond as the cannon shot a huge blast of dark energy towards us. Erza turned towards it as she slammed the two half shields in her hands together and formed a huge magical circle in front of the whole guild. I used my shelter to create a second layer of defence before Erza's magical defence to, if not stop, at least lessen the blow. The shot connected with my shelter and I could feel as if a truck landed on me. I concentrated my whole being into the defensive spell and it was not going to break so easily… but the force was far too great and my shield burst into million of tiny purplish particles and I was sent flying towards the guild, falling to the ground, completely exhausted.

I heard people yelling my name but I couldn't move, I could only see what was happening. The beam had gone through my barrier but at least it served it's purpose and had lessen the force of the blast. It connected with Erza's defence now as she stood between it and the guild like a mountain. I could see her struggling, the armor around her slowly breaking. Just like that, her whole armor broke down and she was sent flying just like me but at least she was able to absorb the whole blow before that. The guild was safe, for now.

Gray finally let go of the pink haired boy and Natsu ran to us as we lay, panting on the ground. Everyone else followed him and they encircled us.

"Are you two okey? Say something." He yelled as he went on his knees to nudge us.

Suddenly a voice was heard.

"Makarov has fallen." The voice of Phantom's Master spoke calmly and everyone looked at the huge building. "And now Erza and Anora can no longer stand." He mocked. But I found the strength to stand up, holding my knees with my hand to use them as support. There was so much arcania in the air thanks to that blast that my strength was returning by the seconds. Erza on the other hand was still too exhausted to stand up.

"Don't count us out yet ya freak!" I screamed at him, waving a clenched fist as I recieved gasps and surprised looks from my fellow guildmates.

"Impressive… You were able to stand after a blast from the Jupiter cannon…" He said, calmly. "But that doesn't change anything. Any chance of victory has slipped through your fingers. Surrender Lucy Heartfilia at once. You have no choice." He said threateningly.

Everyone started yelling in protest.

"I won't ask again!" Jose's voice turned menacing.

Erza suddenly stood up with the most determined face I've ever seen.

"We would never betray her like that! You'd have to kill us first." She yelled with all her might. Everyone else cheered.

"You can stop asking now cus we ain't giving you another answer! We are taking everyone of you jerks down!" Natsu screamed as well.

"If you think that we are just gonna stand here and let you take Lucy away from us without a fight then you are way in over your head!" I joined in the yelling.

"If that's what you wish for then I'll give you a second helping of Jupiter!" Jose yelled, sounding enraged. "You have fifteen minutes to ponder the folly of your actions."

Everyone panicked as spectral soldiers started coming forth from Phantom Lord's HQ. Everyone soon got into battling position and we made a plan.

Natsu charged with Happy towards the Jupiter Cannon and Gray and Elfam followed him ready to smash the thing to bits. Cana and the others stayed behind to fight the spectral soldiers. I was already up, not feeling any of the previous exhaustion. Much better actually – I felt as if I could rip open a mountain. The arcania that was created from that blast was equal to a fifty minute battle. I charged after Elfman and Gray, towards the cannon.

' _I don't remember how all this plays out but I'll be damned if I just sit there and do nothing. This cannon is going down!'_ I though as I continued my charge. I blinked right on top of their HQ ready to bring on the pain.

 **A/N: Whew… Welp that's done. Next time will be the end of Phantom's arc and we go straight towards The Tower of Heaven. *sinister laugh* Oh this will be good. Mmmm'yes I have great plans for there!**

 **Until then, see ya all in the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12: Ghosts and Fairies

**A/N: Surprise! An early update! Since I wasn't able to write that much this week, now I have all this pent up energy to do it through the weekend. So yeah, ya get a bonus!**

 **Enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Twelve

Ghosts and Fairies

I found myself standing on a balcony on top of the huge guild. A big door standing in front of me. I opened it and entered a long corridor. As I ran through the corridor I was searching through my memories to find out who I may encounter here. I remember that there was another person from here that joins Fairy Tail afterwards. Then it hit me. Juvia the water mage. And she was connected to a group in Phantom, whose members were able to control the elements.

My train of thought was suddenly stopped as I found myself on the ground, pushed from a strong gust of wind. I quickly stood up to see a swirling tornado in the middle of a room that I didn't even notice entering. There was a red carpet in the middle with strange lamp like columns ending with a crystal ball. In the middle of the room, the small tornado dissipated revealing a massive, crying man, dressed in a green coat. My whole body tensed as I felt the power that was surging through him. He was not to be underestimated even in my current form. The arcania had given me a really strong boost but I shouldn't let my guard down.

Suddenly the crying man spoke.

"How sad. I will make your wings of magic wither and fall and all that will remain will be the dragon's corpse." The man said, looking at the floor. His hat hiding his face.

"Creepy, crying man say what now?!" I looked at him, readying myself for battle as the air around me seemed to get thicker. This was probably the one that controlled the air.

He looked at me, which was really creepy since he had a bandage covering his eyes. Then he spoke calmly again.

"My name is Aria. I am the strongest of the Element Four." He said, holding his right hand with an opened palm near his face. "I've come in hopes of hunting a dragon." He continued.

"You must be the wind wizard then." I took a stance. I ain't no easy pray. "I kicked the ass of one wind wizard already. A second shouldn't be a problem." I taunted.

' _Last time Natsu helped me a great deal but I don't have that privilege now. I need to focus and take him down on my own.'_ I looked with an intense gaze at the man.

"How sad. I will mourn your death as I pluck your wings." He said as I was charging at him.

"That ain't gonna happen! **Arcane Dragon's Claw"** I yelled as I closed the distance between us, trying to strike him with the purplish claws that overtook my hands.

He dodged to the sides with ease, evading all my attacks and just extended his hand towards me with his palm opened and sent me flying to the side with a wind so strong, that I felt like someone had kicked me in the gut.

I got up ready to continue my assult.

"Try dodging this, twinkle toes! **Arcane Dragon Spectacle!"** I yelled crossing my hands in an 'X' formation. Thanks to the added power from the arcania, from the Jupiter Cannon, I was able to form at least a hundred arrows surrounding my enemy. In one swift motion I extended my hands to the sides and the arrows flew at him. I raised a hand to cover my face from the explosion that followed after the attack. But to my surprise, Aria wasn't there.

"What the…" I started but was quickly blown away from another gust of wind, which sent me, yet again, flying. This time I hit a nearby wall and then fell to the ground. My whole body aching.

I growled as I stood up slowly. He was standing in one place as he did before. He wasn't even breaking a sweat but I was not going to go down so easily.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains"** I swiped my hand at him and the chains burst from the ground and went straight towards him. He turned into wind himself, to my utter surprise, and dodged the chains with ease. The wind that was now him then went straight towards me and knocked me on the grown with such force that I thought I broke a rib. He reappeared at the other end of the room.

I started standing up, holding my stomach to lessen the pain that I was feeling.

' _This is totally a one-sided battle but I can't give up. My body may be growing weaker with every blow but each time he attacks me, I grow more powerful. But can power alone win me this battle?'_ I winced as I stood up. Then I faced him, panting.

"You've endured my attacks and you are still standing." He commented. "…Very impressive." He continued. I charged at him once again.

"You gotta do better than that to keep me down." I yelled as I was closing in on him.

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** The twin sword materialized in my hands as I gripped them really hard and proceeded to charge towards him. Before I neared him he spoke.

"Let's see how you fare against my air space magic. This will truly test your power." He said as he raised both of his hands, his palms opened. My eyes widened. I didn't see anything but I could feel the ethernanos around him. I couldn't control them so that ment that he was using them. It was too late though, as I was already upon him, trying to hit him and then I was met with an invisible wall that sent me flying across the room once more.

I was having a hard time standing up this time. The pain was growing too much for me to bare.

' _So his attacks are invisible. This makes things much more complicated.'_ I scanned him over as I stood up fully. I was getting beaten up pretty badly and I couldn't even touch him. I was so irritated.

"You are much stronger than I thought, daughter of magic." The man said as he lowered his hands from the attack.

"My friends are counting on me and I ain't gonna disappoint. Don't underestimate me! I will keep going until either you are defeated or until I fall limply on the floor." I growled at him, clenching my fist. I had so much power going through me now but I was too weak physically to tap into it. I had to overcome this predicament.

"How sorrowful that you will disappoint your friends." He commented and I gritted my teeth. He pointed his hand towards me with his palm opened.

" **Air Space: Seven"** He said calmly, with an echo to his voice.

Suddenly I felt the air shift and explode around me as I couldn't do anything to stop him. I took the brunt force of the attack. It wasn't enough to send me flying again, but it hurt like hell.

"There is always someone better than you, young Dragon Slayer." He mocked, still standing in the same spot.

"Maybe." I huffed. "But that one ain't you! **Arcane Dragon Roar** " I yelled as the violet and blue light left my maw and shot itself towards him.

" **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle"** I said extending my hands to the sides as the magical circle formed in front of my magical roar, turning it into a beam that shot with devilish speed towards my enemy. Right as it was about to hit him though, he vanished into thin air. I started scanning the room frantically.

' _Crap, crap, crap. Where did he go.'_ I thought as I was looking around, ready for an attack.

"I shall end this with a gift." A voice boomed from all around me. A stared in front of me. Sweat on my forehead while panting heavily. I didn't know what to expect and I feared that."I shall allow you to join your master in his suffering!" Suddenly I felt the ethernanos behind me shift and I turned around to see Aria standing right behind me, his hands over my head.

" **Air Space: Drain!"** He yelled as bright light engulfed me and I felt agonizing pain going through my body. I screamed from it. It was too much. I couldn't even think straight.

"So sad! Yes, because any wizard caught in my air space will be completely drained from their powers." The man yelled, crying intensely.

I couldn't stop screaming, the pain was unbearable. I had to get out of this, but how?

' _I can feel it, my magic going away, but how is he doing that?'_ I thought amidst my screams. Then I realized it. _'He is using the air to push the ethernanos in my body away! If I focus I can make the ethernanos within me withstand the push.'_ I thought as I concentrated on the ethernanos that reside in my body. As I felt them, I gave them the command to push forward through the air. It was now an internal battle of whose control over magic was stronger and the battlefield was my body. And I won. The light around me stopped and I was still with my powers intact. I fell on my knees holding my stomach and panting.

Aria was shocked at the seams.

"How…" He stepped back. "How did you stop my Drain attack."

I stood up and glared at him. The arcania in the air was giving off enough magic power that I could be sustained for days. I quickly turned, not minding the pain I was feeling and smacked him in the face with a punch. I was finally able to hit him and I sent him flying across the room.

"Did you really think you can control my magic?" I hissed. "I'll show you what I can do! You will regret underestimating me!" I readied myself as he stood up.

"Impressive. I didn't know I was faced with such a worthy opponent." He said, still holding his calm voice but something was different… He was smiling and he wasn't crying. I had a bad feeling about this. "I guess it's time to start taking this battle more seriously." He said, removing his blindfold, revealing some really creepy looking, red eyes. My whole body tensed even more than it already was, if that was possible. The air in the room became suffocatingly thick. Suddenly huge gust of wind engulfed the whole room. I covered my face with my hand. I had to win. I can't lose. Lucy and the others are counting on me. I remembered how Lucy cried after we rescued her from the tower and something in me snapped.

I clenched my fist. _'This has gone long enough.'_ I took a stance.

"How sad. Your fate is sealed. I bid you fare well, daughter of magic." As he said that, he extended his hands towards me as golden lights shot towards me, followed by a huge torrent of wind.

I stood calmly at one spot, closing my eyes as I felt every ethernano in the room and I silently thought.

' _Obey.'_

Quickly, right before the attack could hit me I extended my hands to the sides.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter."** The purple shield materialized in front of me and I was still with my eyes closed. It was the most strongest I've ever made the spell and the powerful attack that Aria shot towards it didn't even phase it. I could feel the man looking at me in shock. This was going to end here and now!

I shot my hands to the sides. I rotated my body forty five degrees to the right as I put my right hand behind my back and my left hand in front of my body. I started waving my hands in gentle waves around my body as my form itself was moving to the rhythm of my hands. That was not the only thing that was following my hands. Every ethernano in the room was following my lead as I opened my eyes glaring right through Aria and his confused and shocked expression. The room itself turning violet and blue as the ethernanos made their presence known. I myself was glowing in a violet, blue and white hue.

" **Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Arcania's Wrath: Dance of the Arcane Dragon!"** I yelled as I swiped my right hand, that was yet again behind my back, towards the form of my opponent. The ethernanos in the room taking the form of different objects, bashing into my opponent. As the projectiles appeared all around my enemy, there was no escaping them. It was as if the whole room had a will on its own and was following my command. Aria was slammed with columns, arcs and all other forms of solidified ethernanos. And just like that my opponent was lying, unconscious on the ground." The guild trembled as he fell. I wonder what that was all about.

When I saw that I had defeated my enemy I fell on my knees, panting on the ground. I was so exhausted and in pain but I couldn't help but feel proud of myself. I was able to finally use my Secret art and was also able to defeat an opponent that was not a push over. As I was kneeling there, my attention was taken to the entrance where I saw Natsu and Happy approaching. When they entered the room and saw me, they gasped and I smiled at them.

"Hey guys…" I said weakly. The fight had taken much from me. They quickly ran to me.

"Anora are you ok?" Natsu asked concerned.

"Yeah…" I coughed. "Just finished beating up that clown over there." I pointed to Aria's limp body.

Natsu smirked at me. "Huh, figures. I bet you wiped the floor with him." I chuckled but I quickly regretted that decision as the pain in my adobmen came in quickly like a knife, cutting my flesh. "Something like that." I said as I fell on ground. Natsu panicked slightly as he kneeled down and took ahold of my back so I can look at him.

"Ouch." I winced at the pain. "I guess I was more beat then I thought." As I said that, another noise grabbed hold of our attention. It was the clang of armor on the floor. That could have been only one person. As I thought about it, Erza entered the room and she quickly bolted over to us. She looked just as beat as me.

"Hey Erza." I greeted.

"Anora what happened?" She kneeled next to Natsu to look me over. "Had a nice sparring session." I smirked, remembering the times when I trained with Erza and she would beat me to a pulp.

She smiled at me. "I'm glad that you're ok." She looked at Aria and then at me. "That man was know for his power." She said calmly. "Yeah, no joke." I commented. Suddenly a dinging noise spread through the guild.

"Attention you pathetic Fairy Tail worms." The Master of Phantom Lord, Jose's voice was heard and we all looked towards the ceiling. "Listen carefully because I'll only say this once." He continued.

"What the…" Natsu commented.

"It's Master Jose." Happy pointed out.

Suddenly the room was filled with the sound of a girl screaming. It was none other than Lucy. She was in pain. Our eyes widened.

"We have captured your precious Lucy Heartfilia, which means our first order of business is now out of the way. And that leaves us with just one more thing... My favourite part – wiping all of you miserable brats from the face of the earth." The message ended.

Natsu was staring at the ceiling with rage. A vein popping out on his forehead. "No way…" He stated. "…They've got Lucy." He said with rage in his voice.

"We have to save her." Erza said clenching her fist.

"You guys go, I'll be fine." I reassured. They both looked at me and then Erza turned to Natsu.

"You go!" She commanded. "I'll stay with Anora and watch over her."

"You gotta save her, Natsu." I said weakly, still holding my stomach.

"Listen." Erza got ahold of his shoulders as he gasped lightly and looked right in her eyes. "Use your strength. It lies dormant, deep down, inside of you. Believe in yourself. Find it. Find your strength. And awaken it. For Lucy, for our guild. Do it now, Natsu! Show me, show me you can surpass me!" She yelled the last part.

Natsu looked at the floor, his hair hiding his features as he got up on his feet and got some distance between us. He clenched his fists to the sides as the room started to get hotter and hotter. Suddenly he was engulfed in gentle flames that bended to his will, all around his body. And then he yelled and the fires around him took the form of a dragon. His scream, sounding like a dragon's roar. And like that he bolted to the next room.

Erza looked towards me and helped me get up. She put one of my hands around her shoulder, so I can use her as a support and she led me to a nearby column. She put me down on the ground and I leaned on the column. She did the same.

"Are you sure he is gonna be alright?" I asked her with closed eyes.

She smiled. "This is Natsu we are talking about." I giggled a bit. "I guess you are right." At that moment I heard footsteps approaching from the corridor. I didn't know what to expect. With my heightened senses I could pick up two or maybe three people. I warned Erza and her body tensed as we observed the entrance to the room. As the sound became stronger and stronger, three figures entered the room. When we saw that it was Mira, Gray and Elfman we relaxed.

They ran up to us.

"Erza? Anora?" Mira perked. "You guys ok?" Gray asked, concerned. "Man, looks like something big went down here." Elfman commented.

"Hey guys." I greeted weakly. "You guys are injured, you shouldn't be here." Gray scolded. "Yeah, you aren't really looking to good." Mira said, concerned. Elfman looked at the man I fought.

"Woah!" He looked shocked at the revelation. The others looked at the spot he was staring at. "That's Aria." Mira exclaimed. "You two got shot by the cannon and still fought this guy?" Elfman asked.

"What the heck were you thinking?" Gray scolded again.

"Hold on…" Gray started. "You two beat him on your own?" Mira continued, astonished.

"No, Anora beat him all by herself." Erza pointed towards me with a bright smile and the others looked at me with surprise. I grinned at them. Suddenly a huge dark and menacing aura made it's presence known in the room.

"What the…" Gray commented.

"What is it?" Mira asked.

"I sense death." Erza said with panic in her eyes.

"It feels so evil." I pointed out, still holding my stomach.

The others started wondering what it ment, when sudden, the sound of clapping took our attention.

"Bravo." Master Jose said, entering the room. "You are all quite keen. Very impressive Fairy Tail wizards. I knew this would be fun, but I never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be _this_ entertaining." He continued. "You annihilated the Jupiter Cannon. Disposed of my elite Element Four. And you even managed to bring my magic giant to it's knees." He said with a menacing smirk, an evil and powerful aura surrounding him.

We were all shocked at the revelation of who he is. Gray and Elfman blocked his way to us. They jumped on him. Erza tried to warn them but it was too late. Jose shot hundreds of ghostly figures towards them and they flew across the room. Erza stood up as The Master of Phantom waved his hand and a huge explosion knocked out Mira, Gray and Elfman. The red headed knight charged at him with one sword. He shot explosives at her but she dodge them swiftly, changing in her Black Wing armor and tried to strike at him but he evaded her attacks.

I was watching from the side. I felt so useless. I stood up slowly and went to her side as he threw her towards me. She backflipped gracefully in the air and landed near me. She looked at me in shock.

"Anora what are you doing, you can't fight like this." She yelled at me, holding tightly her blade.

I looked at her with determination leaking from me eyes as I let go of my stomach. "I won't watch from the sides. I'm going to help you." I said with my tone imposing, leaving no room for arguing, so she simply nodded. We both turned our attention toward Jose who started to speak.

"Fascinating. You two took a shot from Jupiter at full force, did you not? And yet you are still standing." He observed and then looked at me. "And you! You even fought Aria." He continued. Erza held up her sword in front of us.

"Only because my friends have filled my heart with strength. I will withstand any physical pain. To protect the ones that I love." She said with an imposing tone.

"And so will I!" I commented. Jose eyes widened and his mirk grew into an outright crazy smile.

"Powerful. Courageous and exquisitely beautiful." He stated calmly. "Destroying you two will bring me unbelievable pleasure." He said with a low voice. We fought with him a for bit before the whole guild shook from an explosion. That could only be one person. My attention was quickly drawn to the man standing in front of me though, as he spoke again. "My… what an unruly dragon you have." He commented as he leaned to the side to evade some falling rubble.

"He may be unruly but he is also an extremely powerful wizard." Erza commented, panting. "In fact… I'd say that he is just as strong as me if not stronger." She continued, holding her blade in a defencive position.

"And even if we fail now, he is sure to kick your butt too!" I stated flatly, taking a defencive stance.

"Will he now? Well I shall see if that's true once I'm threw with you. But you shouldn't be so modest. The two of you have magic that is just as spectacular as Salamander's. You are the first wizards to last so long against me in battle. Truth be told we would be more equally matched if you were in your normal states." He commented and both me and Erza gritted our teeth.

"You know what irks me about Fairy Tail?" He asked rhetorically. "The fact that there are so many powerful wizards like the two of you…" He answered his own question, the calmness in his voice turning to malice. He held a fist towards us. "… Who would align with Makarov." He finished extending his index finger towards us from his clenched fist. In the blink of an eye, we were sent flying and hit the wall behind us with unimaginable speed. We fell to the floor afterwards. The pain was growing more and more. If I wasn't a Dragon Slayer I would probably be dead by now…

We lay on the floor as Jose pointed with his hand at us.

"And since you can't be swayed to join Phantom, there is one way to change that!" He said, threateningly as more of those shots that slammed us to the wall shot from his fingers. Erza jumped in the air and charged at him while I stood up and tried to support her from the back. He continued to shoot at Erza while she evaded all around the room. That gave me an opening.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast."** At this point, I felt all the pent up energy in me. There was so much arcania all around me that I believe my powers grew ten times while I was here. The lights shot towards him but he evaded with utmost ease.

"Now, now Anora. Don't you know it's rude to interrupt other people." He spat darkly as he shot ghostly projectiles towards me.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter!"** I yelled, creating a shield around me that was able to absorb the projectile without shattering thanks to the amount of magical power in me at the moment. That was good since I didn't believe I could take another direct hit.

Erza took the moment to strike at him but he evaded and turned his attention towards her again. "This will send the old coot into deep despair." He said, his eyes glowing like a demon's. "Imagine how he will feel when he awakens and finds his guildhall destroyed and his children dead and gone. He'd be lost. Completely consumed by sorrow." He told us with fire in his eyes. "Once he is reduced to that miserable state I'll swoop in and kill him but first I'll make him suffer." He continued his eyes widening. "I'll torture him until he has no choice but to wither and die!" At that Erza jumped at him but he teleported behind her and shot a projectile at her.

I extended my right hand towards her as if to reach her. **"Arcane Dragon Guardian Wing!"** I screamed as two ethereal forms, looking like dragon wings, enveloped Erza's form and took the brunt of the blast. After that they dissipated, revealing Erza unharmed. She nodded as a 'thank you'. I walked next to her as we both faced Jose while he continued his speech.

"As long as I can remember, Phantom Lord has always been on the top. We have the most powerful wizards, with the strongest spells." He spoke without even looking at us. "We also have the most capitals and most members than any other guild." Then he shot a deadly glare towards us. "However, recently Fairy Tail has began to catch up and our position as leaders is in jeopardy. The names Erza, Laxus, Mystogan and Anora became widely known and soon stories of Salamander spread across the land like wild fire. Now Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord are considered equals, representing this kingdom. Huh… The thought disgust me!" He said, mockingly and his eyes widened with viciousness in them. "I REFUSE TO BE AQUANTED TO SUCH A FEEBLE GUILD!"

In the blink of an eye Erza charged towards him, with me following suit.

"SILENCE!" Erza yelled as she tried to strike with her blade and I was there with my ethereal, twin swords as well. But no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't hit him. We stopped after he got a bit of distance between us and Erza pointed her blade at him.

"So, we are fighting for our lives just because you've had a fit of jealousy?" She roared at him.

"Jealousy?" He asked, raising his hand to his face. "That's absurd. We simply wanted to prove to the kingdom that we are the dominant guild!" He said with a crooked smile.

"Is that what this is all about?!" I joined in the yelling. "For a stupid reason as to show who is better?" Erza suddenly jumped at him and started swinging her blade so fast that I wasn't even able to see the thing, but Jose just evaded without even breaking a sweat. When he evaded her final attack he countered by binding her with some kind of ghosts. I reacted instantly.

"Erza!" I screamed as I swiped my right arm at Jose.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains!"** I yelled as the chains shot towards him. **"Arcane Dragon** **Amplification Circle!"** I continued, extending my hands to the sides and as the chains went through the circle that formed in front of them, each split into two more. Jose just dodged every single one and then looked at me without breaking his hold on Erza.

"You are quite the annoying brat!" He spat as he swiped his free arm at me. "You need to be taught a lesson." He hissed at me and before I knew it, the ground beneath me exploded, launching me towards a nearby column, breaking it on impact and I felt darkness overtake me. The last thing I remember was Erza screaming my name.

* * *

I woke up in a bed near a window. It was bright outside so it was probably morning. I sat on the end of the bed. As I removed the covers I saw that my whole body was in bandages. I quickly scanned the room I was in. I knew exactly where I was. I was at Porlyusica's place! At that moment, the door opened, announcing the entrance of the woman herself.

"Anora." She said calmly when she saw me. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I feel fine, a bit sore but other than that I feel good." I answered honestly. "Thanks for the patch up." I thanked with a smile.

"Don't mention it. Can you stand?" She asked. At her question I stood up from the bed and walked around the room.

"Yeah, no problems here."I confirmed "So... what happened?" I wanted to know.

"You won the fight. Ask you guild mates for further details on the matter." She huffed and turned the other way to do whatever she wanted to do. I eyed her for a minute. Suddenly she yelled. "Well what are you waiting for!? Get out!" I winced at her sudden outburst but that was Porlyusica for ya. I bolted towards the door when I realized that I was only in my bra and panties. Thank god I didn't get out of the house before that!

"Where are my clothes?" I turned around and asked her, shocked. She went to a nearby chair where my violet dress resided and tossed it at me. I put it on quickly.

"Now get out!" She yelled, while grabbing a broom and coming threateningly at me, waving the thing in my face.

"Ok, ok, I'm going!" I bolted out of the house. I turned around as I was going to the guild's direction, noticing Porlyusica at the opened door. I waved at her.

"Thanks again for the help!" She just huffed at my words, turned around and closed the door.

After that I continued on my path towards the guild.

 **A/N: And that's the end of "Phantom Lord" arc. I want to take this moment to thank everyone that has read up to this moment. We just reached 5.000 views and that is just mind-boggling to me. We also have almost 90 followers, 70 favourites and 50 reviews.**

 **For a first fiction, I never even dreamed of getting half of the support you guys have given me and for that I am truly grateful. I hope you enjoy the future chapters as much as you've enojyed these ones, if not more.**

 **With that being said, see ya all in the next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13: A Recipe for Disaster

**A/N: What's this!? Another chapter!? Indeed! Another weekend bonus!**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter Thirteen

A Recipe for Disaster

After I got back to the guild everyone greeted me with cheers and hugs. It seemed like I was out for a day. They had started to rebuild the guild. They had placed some tables and benches where we can rest and the first thing that was built was the bar of the guild so we could have some refreshments while we worked. We also had the request board out so we could still go on missions. Everything seemed normal again.

One day though, we were confronted with the rune knights. The Magic Council's army. They had finally caught word of what had happened. They rounded everyone up and took us to a military post for extensive questioning. We had to endure a week of daily interrogations but everything seemed to go fine. We told them the truth and some eyewitnesses confirmed that it was Phantom who attacked us first.

* * *

We were currently at the guild, carrying around lumber so we can continue the construction. Of course there was the normal bickering of Natsu and Gray and Erza, who ended their argument with just a quick bash to the head with some lumber that she was carrying. Everything was going like normal until Loki came up to us and showed us that he found Lucy's keys. He asked us to give them back to her because he had a history with Celestial Wizards and he didn't want to do it himself. I knew the truth though… Even if I hadn't remembered that he was Leo the Lion, I would have quickly figured it out. I could see that something was wrong with him. He looked so weak and the air around him was weird.

Erza, Natsu, Gray and me decided to check up on Lucy as she was staying in her house for the past days. When we got in though, no one was at home. Quickly we got to the conclusion that she was not home. I don't remember what happens next so I kinda panicked. Happy suddenly opened a box near the bed to look inside of it, calling for Lucy as if she was hiding in there. Right after he looked inside though he froze and everyone went to the chest.

"She in there?" Natsu asked as he went to the box and was dumbstruck when he looked inside.

"Yeah, like she would fit in a drawer…" Gray approached them with crossed hands and then, suddenly threw them up in the air as he looked inside himself.

Erza just perked with a curious eye.

"What's all the commotion about?" I asked, curious as I went to them and checked inside the drawer. As I looked inside my mind froze…

"Where do you even buy underwear like this." Happy asked with a squeaky voice.

"I need an adult!" I shouted without thinking.

"That's underwear?!" Gray asked, dumbfounded as everyone of us had a sweat drop on our foreheads at this point.

"I've never seen anything like it… Where would you even wear that?" Erza asked with her hands on her hips. At this point I could hear everyone's heartbeat, racing as if their hearts wanted to escape their chests. I don't blame them, mine was acting the same way.

"Family gathering?" Natsu asked, turning towards us with the most curious expression.

"Definitely not!" Everyone yelled in unison.

Afterwards we closed the naughty drawer and looked around again until Happy bumped into a small box that fell to the ground and opened on impact, revealing many sealed letters.

Natsu grabbed a hold of one as he sat on the ground and opened it. He started reading it aloud as everyone listened.

"Dear mom, today was a very special day because I joined the Fairy Tail guild." He started.

"Hey man, don't go reading her stuff!" Gray interrupted with sweat on his forehead.

Natsu ignored him and continued. "I met the two most beautiful wizards, Erza and Anora, who are actually really nice and cool." Me and Erza blushed. "Erza is always yelling at Natsu and Gray while Anora is always trying to make everyone happy..."

I went to him and snatched the letter from his hands.

"Natsu that's private. Don't read it!" I scolded as I sealed the letter again.

"So many letters addressed… to her mom?" Gray asked, crouching down to pick a letter.

"Looks that way." Happy commented. "How come she never sent them?" Natsu asked, curious.

"I found a note." Erza said with a low voice behind us, picking our attention. "Evidently Lucy left it for us." Her hand trembled. "…It's says… She is going home."

Needless to say we all flipped the table in the room. "No way!" Everyone cried out, panicking.

We all ran up to the train station in the blink of an eye. To me and Natsu's protest we jumped on the first train to Lucy's home. We were there by noon and we saw Lucy standing in front of a statue of an angle. I believe that represented the grave of her mother. I felt sad as we approached her.

We all had mixed feelings for this. Natsu started yelling why she didn't told us about leaving while Erza and I were just glad that she was ok. She told us why she came to the estate and how she said her goodbyes with her father. I must say it was really brave of her to do so.

We started walking towards the train station again as we were walking around the village.

"I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to freak you out." Lucy apologized with a small giggle.

"There is no need to apologize, we shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." Erza assured her calmly.

"Yeah, we thought you were going back for good." Gray added.

"Happy here was crying like a baby." Natsu pointed out as he was walking with his hands on his neck.

"You cried just as much as I did, Natsu." Happy countered, teasingly.

Natsu looked the other way with a cute pout. "No, I did not!"

I smirked. "Yeah, you are right…you didn't cry as much as Happy..." I said, closing my eyes and lifting my index finger of my right hand in the air, beside my head. "You cried even more than him." I said sticking my tongue out. Everyone laughed and Natsu crossed his hands and looked the other way to hide a blush to which I snickered.

"Aww, is someone embarrassed all of a sudden?" Lucy teased.

"I must admit, I'm kinda diggin' your hometown." Gray commented.

"Me too. It's such a peaceful place." Erza added.

"Yeah, it's very nice indeed." I joined in the conversation.

"Oh it's not a town." Lucy corrected cheerfully, with closed eyes. "This is just part of our gardens. The Heartfilia estate goes all the way to that mountain over there." She pointed to the furthest mountain peak that was a few miles away. Our mouths were agape.

' _I was born rich and even I didn't have such a big land! We had only a huge house and a ginormous garden…'_ I thought, looking dumbfounded.

Suddenly Gray and Natsu saluted with the weirdest expressions.

"Holy crap! She's rich!" Gray yelled.

"And acts like it's nothing!" Natsu continued.

"Two of our best soldiers are down!" Happy said, saluting while Gray and Natsu were dancing and hugging in the background with fists in the air. "Captain Erza what are your orders?"

"Wow… The sky is so beautiful…" Erza said, looking at the sky, while her long hair was waving behind her from the wind. She was staring as if she was in a trance.

"We need a medic! Captain Erza has a screw loose!" Happy perked, now saluting to me. "What are your orders new captain Anora?"

"Ugh…" I said, my mouth still agape from the moment of the reveal.

"That's four down!" Happy yelled. "Situation critical!"

"UMPA!" Gray and Natsu yelled with fists in the air.

Lucy was watching from the side with confusion plastered on her face. But then she started laughing loudly and afterwards she gave us the brightest smile. We stopped with our weirdness, happy that we made her laugh. Afterwards we went back to the guild. By the time it we got into Magnolia it was already nightfall, so everyone went their separate ways.

The next day we were at the construction site of the guild. Lucy was chatting off with Mira at the bar with Gray and Natsu near her. Me and Erza on the other hand were just going to have our lunch break after we set down some lumber.

"Whew, well that's that for now." I said with a smile. "Let's go for a lunch break."

"I agree. A lunch break is in order. It's the perfect time for some cake!" Erza said, following me. I snickered at her comment. Before we could go to the bar though, we were confronted by Laxus.

"If it isn't Erza and Anora. You sure that you want to dirty your hands with this rat den. You might break some nails." He mocked.

Erza and me gritted our teeth.

"Maybe if you'd help us out in the fight things could have been different!" I told him, looking him dead in the eye with crossed hands.

"Yeah right, as if I'm going to meddle with the problems of some weaklings." Erza suddenly threw a barrel at him but he dodged and it and the object hit Natsu instead, knocking him on the ground.

"Why don't you tell the others how you feel?" Erza snapped at him, speaking loud enough so the whole guild can hear. Everyone's eyes were upon us now.

"I have no problem, telling them what I think of 'em." Laxus said with a smirk as he sat down on a bench near a table. "This guild is full with nothing but losers and weaklings." He said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Then he turned to look over his shoulder at Jet and Droy. They were still in their bandages. I was better thanks to my Dragon Slayer traits but they were still one hundred percent human. They needed more time than me to recover.

"Especially the two of you, morons." Laxus said to them with a smirk. "You were Phantom's personal punching bags. You know, I'm glad I never bothered to learn your names." He said as the two victims of his speech lowered their heads.

"Which brings me to the worst of them all." He turned his attention to Lucy. "The rich, little princess wannabe wizard. This was your fault." He finished and Mira was infuriated at this point.

"Laxus!" She yelled. "Would you shut up, the Master said no one in the guild was to be held accountable for what happened." She said with her voice threateningly low. Laxus just stood up, crossed his hands and closed his eyes to listen to her . "Not even you… Despite the fact that I begged you to come and help and you turned you back on us." She was yelling with full force towards the end, Laxus smile growing with every single one of her words.

"Stop your whining!" He said with a huge grin. "That fight had nothing to do with me. But if I had been there you wouldn't be drowning your sorrows in this pile rubble right now!" Erza's eyes were twitching as were mine and by the end of his speech Erza snapped.

"Why you!" Erza started and I was gonna start blurting out insults when Natsu interrupted us both.

"I've heard enough of you!" He charged at Laxus, but the man turned into lightning and teleported behind him. "Come on Laxus, fight me like a man, you gutless coward!" Natsu said to him with a clenched fist. Laxus just snickered at his words.

"How do you expect to fight me when you can't even touch me, you dimwit?" He mocked. "I can't wait to inherit this place and kick all of you weaklings to the curve. Your days in Fairy Tail are numbered kids!" He announced with a maniacal grin while everyone stood from their seats. "Things are gonna be a whole lot different around here, so I guess you losers will have to find a new place to hang out." He said, turning into lighting and disappearing. Mira then explained how Laxus was the one who will inherit Fairy Tail to Lucy.

"Man I hate him!" Natsu said in a low voice, still clenching his fist.

"Calm down. It's just needless waste of energy." Erza said with her hands on her hips as a smile grew on her face. "Let's try and get your mind off of him. What do you think about getting a job?" He looked at us as she finished.

"Yeah, it will be fun." I chimed in. "And we can take Lucy and Gray too."

Gray looked at us with fright and Lucy mirror his expression.

"Do what?" Lucy asked shocked.

"Gray, you're clothes." Mira pointed out softly to the half naked boy.

"We've all been working together since the Eisenwald incident, so I guess we are a team of sorts now." Erza said with hands on her hips and closed eyes. Everyone eyed us funny and commented on the fact that Erza finally called us a team.

"So what do you think about making it official." She opened her eyes to look at Gray, Natsu and Lucy. "The five of us working as a team. Well, actually six if we include Happy." She turned towards the flying feline. Everyone smiled in excitement but then Lucy turned towards us.

"But… are you sure you want someone like me on your team?" She looked down with a smile.

"Not someone like you! Lucy, It's gotta be exactly you!" Natsu told her as he got in her face. "Aye!" Happy confirmed. "It just wouldn't feel right if we didn't have you out there with us, ya know." He said giving her a huge ear to ear grin that showed his sharp teeth. She looked at him with surprise and a small blush on her cheeks as I went over to Natsu and nudged him suggestively. He looked at me confused as I snickered with my hand on my lips.

Everyone then commented that Lucy was strong in her own right and she laughed with us. Of course the celebration of 'The Strongest Team' being official now was quickly brushed under the carpet as Natsu and Gray looked at each other with murder screaming in their eyes.

They pressed their foreheads to one another.

"I gotta team up with him?" They both said with clenched fists in unison. Not long after Erza asked them if that was a problem and that do you know, they didn't mind at all…

Our second mission as a whole team was to take down an Arcane cult in the castle-town of Lupinus. We got there and in one day we finished the job. One problem. We got slightly overboard and kinda destroyed half of the city… No big deal… We just had to give up the reward for the mission to pay for the damage.

* * *

The next day after the job, Lucy came to us with a request from Onibus, that was suggested by Mira. We all agreed and we headed straight to the city. The job was to draw a crowd to some rundown theater with our magic. It sounded simple enough.

We were currently at the train station, after we were off from the evil, death machine that people innocently call 'a train'. Me and Natsu were lying on the ground, moaning as the others continued forward, leaving us alone with Happy. After a short while, when we got better, we quickly caught up to them. Lucy was giving us the plan on how we were gonna attract the crowd when we found ourselves in front of a huge theater.

"Pretty classy, huh?" Happy commented.

"Let's go!" Lucy turned to address us.

Suddenly a short man in an orange costume perked from the inside, not even revealing his whole body as he leaned from a corner.

"Excuse me?" He said, nervously. "I don't suppose you are the wizards from Fairy Tail, are you?" We confirmed quickly.

He apologized and told us that the request is no longer required. When we asked why that is, he invited us inside and explained his predicament and how the actors left.

We were sitting around a table in the dressing room.

"What?! All of your actors just walked out on you?" The man confirmed to her question. "Yes… Thank you so very much."

"Thanks for what?" Happy asked with a sad voice.

"My last few shows have been a complete and utter failures. The reviews have gotten so bad that the actors are embarrassed to perform in another one of my productions." We were all looking at the man with sadness in our eyes. I felt pretty bad for him and I believe the others did too.

The man snickered sadly and continued "So they left… Just like my wife… But I won't give up on my dreams! The theater is my bloo. But this was my last chance to shine and now I can never redeem myself." The man started rambling hastily.

"Man, and I thought that the actors were dramatic…" Gray said in a whisper.

"I have no choice, the performance has been canceled! Thank you so very much." The man said with a high voice as he started to cry.

"You know what they say… The show must go on!" Erza commented from behind us, snatching our attention. "Have no fear, we shall perform in your play." Erza said, opening her previously closed eyes, revealing stars in them as she struck the most dramatic pose I've ever seen. Everyone's mouth was agape as we thought we saw rose petals fall all around her.

"Hey, is she glowing?" Gray asked in shock as Erza started training her voice. After that everyone agreed to playing in the show. We had a week to prepare. I didn't know Erza was such a good actress before she started rehearsing.

Gray and Natsu wanted to outclass her and me. I was no pushover. I had my fair share of stage performances in my old life so I was no newbie. Happy dropped flyers announcing about the performance to everyone in the city. It was going to be grand I had a feeling. We had to make a set as well as learn our lines but we managed to do everything.

One 'preparing for the performance and meeting with fans' montage later.

* * *

It was finally the day of the performance and all the seats were taken. We were looking at the awaiting audience from behind the curtains.

"This is so exciting." I told Lucy and Lyra, jumping up and down excitedly. Lucy had summoned the spirit to perform on the stage with us tonight.

"Oh, I've never sung in front of an audience this big before." Lyra was holding her face with her two hands excitedly.

"Don't be nervous, you'll blow 'em away." Suddenly a buzzing noise sounded our queue as the lights in the theater died down and lights illuminated the stage as the curtance were lifted. Lyra had already taken her place at the stage with her harp and she started to sing and beautiful song.

 _Far, far away…_

 _A story of long ago…_

 _A prince of the West Kingdom fell in love_

 _With a princess of a rival kingdom…_

Everyone was in awe from Lyra's voice. Suddenly a light revealed Erza entering the stage, posing as the prince. She began her performance while Lyra was finishing her song.

 _To save the princess, the prince of the West Kingdom_

 _Went to the mountain of death…_

With the end of Lyra's song it was queue for Erza and her lines. She stretched her arm, tacking a dramatic pose and opened her mouth… but nothing came.

"This can't be good." Gray commented near me, Lucy and Natsu. We were observing from behind the curtains waiting for our turn.

"She is totally freezing up." Lucy panicked in a whisper.

"She has a mean case of stage fright." Natsu observed.

Erza's legs started trembling as if she was in the arctic dressed only in a skirt. I face-palmed myself.

"H-Here… ye… here…oh…m-my name… ack." She stuttered. "I'm a prince!" She announced boldly. I hid myself in embarrassment. My only weakness was an embarrassing moment like this. Each time I saw something like this I would cringe so hard that my body wouldn't obey me. That was bad, really bad.

"I…I came… to save the princess." Erza continued. The audience was confused. Erza drew out her sword to continue her play even though she skipped half of her lines.

"And I… wield the power… of… of…" She slowly raised the blade.

"Oh no… She skipped way ahead." Lucy confirmed my thoughts as she looked at the lines of the play. "That line is from a completely different scene."

"Erza is so nervous, I'm not sure if she is breathing." Happy commented.

"Hey, Anora, you ok?" Gray asked as he looked at me concerned and extended a hand to me. Everyone turned to me with shock. My eyes were twitching and my whole body was cringing.

"I'm fine… Never been better. I… just have a thing for embarrassing moments." It was no stage fright. I've been to many performances, but whenever something embarrassing happened I felt the urge to hide my face from the world.

Lucy hit her forehead with the lines as she moaned into the papers. Our attention was brought back to Erza who looked like she was in some kind of a trance.

"I…I… wield the power… because… cus I have ten swords." She said, shaking like a leaf as she unleashed her magic and ten swords flew towards the audience. Thank the Lord she didn't murder anyone.

"She is falling apart out there guys." Happy pointed towards Erza.

"What should we do?" Gray asked.

Lucy clenched her fist like a leader. "Well, we are just gonna have to improvise around her and do our best to save the show."

"When do I get to go on stage?" Natsu asked, irritated.

"Shut your trap!" Lucy hissed.

My eye twitching became more intense. "Please, don't make me go out there. Not before this atrocity stops." I held Lucy by the wrist.

She looked sympathetically at me. "You just have to pull through this Anora, we can't do this without you." My whole body cringed again but I nodded.

Lucy went in on stage tied to a rope as she began saying her lines. "Oh, my beloved prince Fredrick, please save me! I'm held in the terrible clutches of that fiend Seinheart." She said, mimicking the emotions of her words.

Gray entered the play. "I am the great Julies. If you want to save the princess you will have to cross blades with me." He waved his hands around. This was my queue and I was terrified. Slowly I got on stage and the audience looked at me with confusion as my whole body was itching and my eyes twitching.

"And I'm… the great Julies' mage, advisor Crystel… y-you will not defeat us." I improvised. I was wearing a azure dress with green linings at the bottom and at the shoulders. The crowd was questioning the play at this point.

Erza trembled more than a chihuahua as she raised her sword towards us. "I c-c-challenge y-you… to a…" She turned slowly towards us with a blue face as if she were some kind of a robot. Sweat appeared on Gray's face. "Woah, she's completely lost it." He whispered.

"Wait I have an idea" Lucy whispered and I heard her thanks to my strong hearing.

"Open, gate of the clock constellation." She murmured as she held Horologium's key behind her back. The spirit appeared and put Erza inside of him.

"F-Fight, fight. She says." Horologium announced and the audience's sweat dropped.

"What do you think you are doing?" Gray hissed at Lucy.

"The show is dead in the water if brave prince Fredrick passes before he duels the villains." Lucy huffed and then continued to improvise. She smiled brightly, closing her eyes.

"How good of you to come great clock. The brave prince is in urge and in need of a moment's rest. Suddenly Erza perked from inside, no longer looking blue.

"Finally caught my breath." She announced, exiting the clock spirit. "I'm back!" She waved her sword over her head.

"Meet your doom." Gray pointed at her with his left hand, forming an ice sword in his right one that was behind his back." My sword of ice."

"This atrocity must end!" I said with a growl, creating two purplish twin swords in my hands. Just to note, I was not improvising at the time. I was just speaking my mind…

"Uh…uh.. very well." Erza said with dumbfounded. "I-I will attack you with…" A red magical circle formed behind her as she raised her sword. "With my ten swords!" She announced and as she did ten swords actually flew towards us. And even though they looked like the plastic one in her hand, these ones were actually pretty real. Me and Gray started dodging them frantically and Gray ran off the stage leaving me alone with my worst fear – total embarrassment in front of a large amass of people.

Suddenly my eye twitched so hard for a second I thought that it was going to go out of it's socket. I crossed my hands in an 'X' formation as Lucy hissed my name but it was too late, I was in a trance like state.

"T-This… must end now!" I yelled as violet arrows appeared all around Erza as everyone was shocked and they flung towards her as I expanded my hands. But before they could reach her I was snatched by Horologium and dragged off the stage, disturbing my concentration and the arrows disappeared before they hit their target. He put me inside of him.

"Oh thank you great clock spirit for helping us defeat the great mage advisor Crystel. Without you we wouldn't have stood a chance." Lucy said dramatically.

"Let me go!" I yelled from inside the spirit as he explained he cannot do that as it is the orders of Lucy. My mind had only one objective right now. STOP. THIS. NOW.

The others continued the performance to my utmost displeasure.

"Prince Fredrick, thanks for saving me." Lucy thanked as she was unbound from the rope.

Erza kneeled and actually got past her stage fright and things were starting to get normal to which I cooled down, my body stopped cringing like a madman and my eye stopped twitching.

Erza extended a hand towards Lucy, putting the other at her chest. "Please, lady Andericka, let's get married and have many children… like thirty three." She said as the audience's sweat dropped and my eye twitching came back.

Gray entered the stage again. "The calm before the storm shall endith noweth." He said as I felt the need to destroy. "Death awaits thou, now come forth and char him, my dragon!" He said dramatically as Natsu entered the stage in a dragon costumed that was being held by Happy in the air.

"Well, that's my queue!" Natsu yelled as he started spitting fire everywhere. "I am a powerful dragon, I will destroy you all!"

"Let's vanquish this beast." Gray said to Erza and the crowed yelled in confusion as to why would he do that since he is the one who summoned him.

"Y-yes! We shall slay it." Erza said, clenching her fist.

"I can take care of the dragon." Lucy yelled and the crowd was once again staring in confusion. "You two get to safty."

"T-Thanks…" Erza stuttered before promptly escaping the stage with Gray. "We owe you one!" She said as they hid behind the curtains. The crowd was now in an uproar of what was going on.

Suddenly Happy dropped Natsu and he fell to the stage spewing flames everywhere and Lucy's dress caught on fire. She started running towards the curtains.

"Help me Gray! I need ice." She yelled.

"I'll save you!" Gray started casting an ice-make spell but Erza interrupted him, by jumping on his head and then into the air towards Lucy, slashing her clothes off.

"She cut off my dress!?" Lucy looked in panic as the crowd roared, mostly the men. Erza covered her in some green cloth and kneeled over to her, holding her arm gently. "Princess, do you now feel alright?"

"That hurt!" Natsu interrupted the momenty as he started roaring flames everywhere. Horologium signaled that his time is up and poofed away letting me go out of my prison. I had the power to stop this now. I walked on stage, my eyes brimming with fire like I was the Devil himself. Everyone gasped at my sudden entrance as my fists were clenched so hard that I feared I could puncture my own skin, but I had to stop this.

"Stop. Play. Must. End." My eyes twitched with every word as my whole body cringed, violet light engulfing my form. Natsu's flames going everywhere, burning everything in sight. Suddenly Taurus burst from underneath the stage, destroying it and blasting Gray off it while he was trying to smother Natsu's fire. Erza watched from the sides with widened eyes.

"I have no choice. P-Punishment awaits." She was talking as if she was holding herself back.

"End. Play. Now." I started walking, slowly like a cringing zombie towards Natsu, Gray and Lucy form one end of the stage while Erza did the same thing from the other end muttering something about punishment.

"Punishment awaits, all of you scoundrels!" She yelled as she charged with her sword.

A purplish, ethereal sword materialized in my right hand as I charged at them, dodging Natsu's fire and the holes in the stage. "This ends now!" I yelled as both me and Erza clashed against Natsu and Gray. Lucy was watching from the sides, hiding her naked body with the green cloth as rubble flew in every direction from the mess we were making. Fire, Ice, Swords, Ethereal objects and attacks were flying everywhere, destroying every inch of the theater until finally the building cracked in two and fell to the ground as the crowd watched in shock.

Suddenly everyone cheered from the audience. Laughing and pointing at us in approving cheers. Right now, Erza had lifted Natsu in his costume as he was still roaring out flames. She had pointed his rage towards Gray who was casting his Ice-shield to block the fire while I was looking like a maniac at the sides casting my Spectacle of violet arrows. I heard the short man from the side squeal in delight.

"YES! They loved us!"

After that everything ended… for day one... The guy made us do the performance three times every day. FOR A WEEK! At the moment we were all standing in the newly rebuilt dressing room as Natsu, Gray and Happy were lying on the table half dead. Erza was warming up her voice, Lucy was waving to herself with a fan to get rid of the heat and I… I was crouching in the corner, curled in a ball, my long blonde hair dripping messily, close to my eyes as I trembled like a leaf. For a week I was put through three sessions of my worst nightmare and some of the days I couldn't even sleep unless Erza knocked me out…

Just at that moment the short man entered the room to remind us to get ready for our third performance for the day.

"I truly can't believe what a tremendous hit the show's become." He said to no one in particular as he was exiting the room. He turned his head over his shoulder to see us. "Especially with these lousy actors I've got."

Natsu opened his mouth without standing up from the table. "Come on man, would you give us the money already?" he moaned.

"I can't keep doing three performances a day." Gray whined next to him.

"No. More. No. More." I chanted like a mad woman in my corner.

The short man fist pumped the air. "Up, up, you lazy bums! The show must go on!"

"What's the deal with this guy?" Happy asked weakly, lying on the table. Erza continuing to warm up her voice in the background.

"I'm done." Lucy started to crawl away. "I want to go home now!" She half-yelled the last part.

I could never agree more with another person… This was the last time I do this and I didn't care if I was going to go home with or without the money!

 **A/N : Welp this cheesy chapter was just brought into daylight. It was really funny writing it and trying to think how to make Anora awkward. If you didn't get what she experienced, it's basically a reaction to an embarrassing moment. I actually have that and I decided to implement it. It's like if you see something worth cringing over, instead of reacting like a normal person and just wincing or whatever, your whole body just wants to escape the situation on it's own. And here we have an OP wizard who was forced to do the exact opposite, turning her into a crazed lunatic.**

 **The Song Lyra plays is from the sub version of the anime while everything else is from the dub version.**

 **I hope you had a laugh with this chapter. See ya all in the next one!**


	14. Chapter 14: Echoes of the Past

**A/N: I'm going to be introducing different points of view from now on. I can't say how often, probably not much. The story still mainly revolves around Anora's P.O.V. but we are going to switch it up sometimes. Just so you know, when there is a view point change, I'm going to announce it beforehand with text LIKE THIS** **.**

 **Now then, enjoy the chapter**

Chapter Fourteen

Echoes of the Past

After the atrocious events that occurred during our acting mission, life was normal again. Well, our kind of normal at least. We were currently in Hosenka village in a spa. It was Lucy's idea after we finished a job early. Best. Choice. IN MY LIFE!

I gotta admit, I've never been to a spa before. I didn't know it could be so relaxing. Everyone was having a good time. After Erza, me and Lucy bathed together in some red water we got back to our resting place where we found Natsu challenging Gray to a pillow fight. Of course Erza snatched the two closest pillows to her the moment she heard him.

"My arsenal is equipped only with the most powerful pillows!" She declared with a smug smile.

I grabbed one of the two pillows she was holding. "Then I guess I'll just have to borrow one of your 'all powerful' pillows and defeat everyone in the room with it." I glared with a challenge in my eyes and Erza did the same to me.

"Whatever, you guys are going down!" Natsu started throwing pillows, grinning like an idiot. Laughing we started dodging and throwing pillows on our own. It was only the three of us until Gray got hit and decided to join in. The room was full of flying pillows everywhere. Where the heck did we find so many? That was a constant question in my mind but I payed no heed to it as I was having too much fun.

When Lucy finally decided to join in she was hit by four pillows coming from the four of us and was sent flying through the doors of the room. Happy joined in after that. It was an all out pillow war. We all lunged towards each other, screaming bloody murder. In an instant we were fighting in a puff of smoke, pillows flying left and right. Happy somehow got away from the fight.

After half an hour, Gray and Natsu were knocked out, but me and Erza were still going.

I lunged at her with two pillows. "You're going down!" I huffed from exhaustion.

She did the same. "You will be the first to go down!" She yelled as we clashed and fought for another half an hour. We were currently on the ground weakly patting each other with a pillow.

"I… call… a… truce…" I said patting her slowly with a pillow.

"I… accept…" Erza did the same.

I stopped with the patting and took a deep breath. "Let's just say that we are the girl team and we beated the boys, how does that sound?"

"Sounds good." Erza said with a smirk. The boys were still unconscious from the knockdown that we and Erza delivered on them.

"Hey, Lucy's been out for a while now. What could be keeping her?" I asked as I remembered that Lucy got out of the room before an hour. Erza was just about to comment when the door opened and Lucy came in.

"Oh, hey Lucy!" I greeted. "We were just wondering when you were gonna come back."

She closed the doors behind her. "Yeah, sorry that I took so long… I had a lot to think about." She answered.

I eyed her curiously but decided to drop it. I was too tired to be stubborn.

"Well, I don't know about the two of you but I'm beat…" I said as I stretched and released a lazy yawn. I went to my sleeping bag and Erza followed.

"Yeah, me too." Erza said.

"It's pretty late, we should probably get some sleep." Lucy suggested as she was moving her sleeping bag next to ours.

"Agreed." Erza confirmed as she was nesting herself in her sleeping bag. I switched off the lights before I plopped down. We said our 'goodnights' and went to sleep for the night.

The other day we returned to the guild after patching Natsu and Gray up. It appeared that me an Erza got a bit carried away… Lucy was at the bar and looked really depressed. I didn't ask her why though… I cut my day short and I went home. I was just going to relax and use the day up for my hobbies. That included books and… music. Funny enough, I didn't let go of my musical talents. I even bought myself a guitar and a violin. I wanted to get a piano as well but for the moment I used the one at Fairy Tail when I felt the need to use it. Whenever I got the chance I would practice.

I wasn't good or anything, I just enjoyed doing it. Ok, maybe I had some knack on how things were to be done but I wasn't that good to make songs of my own. So I just sang what I remembered. I had some really nice songs from this world but I could remember some from my past life as well. Don't ask me how… I've listened to some songs more than hundreds of times… I would be surprised if I hadn't memorized them.

And so for the rest of the day I read a new book that I bought. It was an adventure book and it was a nice read. After that I practiced some of my singing with the guitar. It was currently around noon and the sun was slowly disappearing from the sky. It was at that moment that my door went flying. I looked up from my bed at the door as I held the guitar in my hands, not even flinching. I was already used to that happening to my poor door that didn't do anything to deserve this treatment. To my surprise I saw Gray who was panting. I was expecting Erza to be honest, she usually does that...

"I've got bad news Anora! It's Loke." I looked up at him confused. "He quit Fairy Tail and then ran away." My eyes widened. After he had informed me of the situation I got dressed and went to search for Loke with the rest of the guild. We looked all around Magnolia but we couldn't find him. I remembered where he was but I didn't know how to go there. We continued the search but we couldn't find him until Lucy came back from where she had went and told us everything that had happened. Everyone was relieved to hear that everything was ok.

After the events of that faithful night, Loke became one of Lucy's spirits. In the morning he came back to say hi to us and even gave us tickets to this exotic place.

* * *

And that's how our little team found it's way to the famous Akane Resort. Once we got over to the place we didn't waste any time. We got to the beach right off the bat. We ran around the beach, played volleyball, swam in the sea. We were enjoying ourselves.

After the day had passed we retreated back to the hotel that we had rented with the tickets that we had. I was currently on the balcony of my room, watching the sunset, a violet book in my hand.

I looked up at the opened book and read the summary of the time period I was in.

 _The Tower of Heaven period. After a vacation, Erza is kidnapped by her former best friends and is dragged to a huge building in the middle of the sea. She is brought in as a sacrifice to appease the tower and lend it strength to revive someone else. She meets with the one that holds her heart and fights to bury her demons, her friends helping along the way._

 _Aftermath: Someone_ **D** **̷̸͜͏** **IE** **̕** **S** **̶̴̧͘͜**

I read the last scribbled line with disgust and hate. I didn't remember every little detail but I knew the base of it and I was pretty sure that the event was going to happen very soon. No one is going to die on my watch! I sighed as I lay my diary on a nearby table. This was enough to put me into a bad mood.

' _Maybe I should tell them?'_ I thought. _'Maybe… just to get it off my chest. They'll understand that I can't give them answers they crave for... right?'_

' _Oh, who am I kidding… Everyone will want to know something and the temptation of wanting me to tell them would be too strong.'_ I huffed. ' _Maybe… someday…'_

My train of thought was broken when Lucy and Erza entered my room, dressed in elegant dresses. Lucy had a long red dress while Erza had a violet one.

"Hey, Anora." Lucy greeted. "Come on out, let's have some fun down at the casino." She suggested.

"Be right there, I just need to put something more fitting." I was currently in my azure T-shirt and with a small skirt. Lucy and Erza exited the room to wait for me outside while I dressed in a jade dress that I bought not so long ago.

I sighed as I looked in the mirror. "I guess I should enjoy myself while I can…" I murmured as I went towards the door. The girls were waiting for me and we headed down towards the casino. We found ourselves playing poker. Erza was destroying everyone. Who knew she was so good at playing cards. Amidst the game I had the urge to go to the bathroom so I told them where I was going and went straight for the ladies room.

After I finished my job I got to the nearest sink and washed my hands. I looked up in the mirror and saw a girl with cat like ears stand behind me and my eyes widened.

"Me'ow" She said like a car and a magical circle appeared underneath me. I couldn't react in time and before I knew what hit me, I was tangled in an orange rope. I tried to use my magic but it looked like the binds were suppressing my powers.

' _Damnit… I let my guard down.'_ I thought as I looked at her. "Who are you? What do you want?" I asked, already having a sneaking suspicion.

"You're Anora right?" The girl purred. "Where is Erzi-werzy?" She asked, ignoring my line of questioning.

"And what makes you think I'll tell you." I glared at her from the floor, where I was currently laying on. She grew a smirk and the ropes on my hands extended and bound my arms to my legs behind my back, starting to pull them together. I was in an 'O' shape and scince I wasn't fond of yoga, I did not like this one bit. It was quite painful.

"In about five minutes you are gonna be twisted up like a yummy little pretzel. I would talk right about now if I were you." She pointed her index finger at me.

"I won't tell you anything!" I yelled at her while my body was twisting in pain.

"Too bad…" She hummed and then touched her head. "Oh you found her?" She asked in ecstasy and then looked at me. "Well, I guess I don't need you anymore, Me'ow" The ropes started pulling more and more and my vision was getting woozy. I was starting to lose consciousness and the last thing I remember was someone telling her to stop.

* * *

When I woke up I found myself tied with the same rope to a wooden pillar on what seemed like to be a ship. I heard someone yelling my name and I looked to the side to see Erza, yelling at me. There was another person with blonde hair in front of her.

"Anora! You're awake." She then turned towards the man. "Why did you take her as well, she has nothing to do with this." She spat angrily.

"Oh but she does sis." The teen told her, looking at me. "Jellal told us that she is a key part of completing his plan." But as he looked at me his scheming face turned to confusion. I guess they finally notice my heavy case of motion sickness and that I didn't give a damn about anything that was going on at the moment.

"Why does she look like that?" The boy asked.

"She has motion sickness…" Erza answered him.

"You know…" I said weakly. "I'm your prisoner and all… can't… you just knock me out already?" I asked, trying not to puke as I talked.

The man hesitated but then knocked me out with a fist to the stomach.

' _Here we go again… I hope this doesn't become a habit.'_ I thought as I was plunged into darkness once more.

* * *

After that I woke up in a cell with the most unusual view in front of me. The man that knocked me out when we were on the ship was now lying unconscious on the ground while Erza was removing her bounds. She looked at me as she removed the rope and then came over and untied me.

"Anora! Your finally awake…" She said with relief and sadness. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, this is all my fault." She said as she finished untying me. I rubbed my hands together and the put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a big smile.

"Oh come now Erza. You know that I don't mind being dragged around into dangerous places." I told her but she didn't say anything. "Now come on, we gotta get out of here." She agreed to that.

We ran out of the cell and down a huge staircase. There were a lot of guards in our way as we made our escape but they were nothing that could hold us back. The jade dress I was in was not suitable for combat and it got damaged heavily. At least in it's current form I could move more easily. We ran and ran, defeating guards along the way until we entered a room and found ourselves staring at our team.

"Hey guys!" I greeted.

Erza gasped. "It's you! What are you doing inside the tower!?" She yelled at them.

They told us that they came looking for us but Erza yelled at them to go back, telling me to go with them. Throughout her outburst, Natsu ran outside the room, towards the top of the tower, saying he needed to save Happy and that he wasn't going to leave this place without him.

Everyone tried to convince Erza to let us stay but then she did something no one of us expected… She gave us 'the puppy eyes'. Erza Scarlet just gave us 'the puppy eyes'. We were shocked to say the least. Afterwards she told us her tale, how she got to know the people that kidnapped her, how she knew about the tower and how it's owner, Jellal, had turned evil and made her look like she was the one who betrayed her old friends.

As she finished her story the teen from the cell before revealed himself at the entrance of the room.

He walked slowly towards us. "Sister… That's not true… W-Why are you lying to them?" He asked in disbelief. "You think that by making yourself the martyr you'll get sympathy from your friends? Tell them the truth! That's not how it happened and you know it." He yelled the last part.

"You blew up the boats with which we were going to escape and then you left on your own. We would've ended on the bottom of the sea if it hadn't been for Jellal. He saved us! He warned us not to trust wizards like you, who haven't learned to use their magic properly. He said that you had become drunk with magical power and that you didn't want to do anything with your past or the friends you left behind." He yelled at the brink of tears. Erza was looking with sad eyes towards him. It was at that moment that I snapped, drawing every pair of eyes in the room towards me.

"Are you a complete idiot!?" I yelled at him waving an index finger.

"Anora!" Erza tried to stop me but I stopped her with a wave of my hand. The blond teen, who I targeted with my rage, was watching at me with a shocked expression.

"You keep calling Erza 'sister' yet you have so little faith in her?" I asked sarcastically. "Do you even know her? She is one of the most kind and loyal people I've ever met. She would die before she betrayed someone." I shouted and he was staring at me with disbelief while Erza was looking at me, surprised.

"Did you ever think that maybe Jellal lied to you?" I continued my rant. "Oh look everybody, I'm a single person and I saw this girl with red hair just blew all of the ships at our disposal so we can't escape even though she was the one that initiated the fight for our freedom…" I said, impersonating a small boy. "Did you ever see her do it? Did you see a boat leave on it's own with Erza on it for you to believe that she left you on her own accord? Did you even think how could one girl escape that island alone without a boat? Do you even have any faith in the girl you so persistently call 'sister' ?" I was screaming right in front of his face right now. "If you ask me, you don't deserve to call her that. If you are going to so quickly cast her aside for the word of another, you better stop calling her that because that is disrespect on a whole new level and I'm warning you, I won't stand for anyone treating my friends like this!" At this point everyone's mouth was agape and the teen in front of me had tears in his eyes.

"Anora…" Erza said with a low voice.

"You weren't back then…" The teen said with tears in his eyes. "You don't know anything about us!" He looked at Erza. "After you left, Jellal's words were my only salvation." Erza lowered her head. "And that's why I spent all these years trying to finish the tower for him. I did it for his sake! And now you're telling me that it was all a lie?" He looked down. "You really expect me to believe that you are telling the truth and that Jellal's been lying to us this whole time?"

"That's right." A man with a metal jaw appeared out of the shadows.

He explained how he had spared Gray back at the casino and how he knew about Jellal from the start. He assured the blond teen that we were in fact telling the truth. Erza went to comfort the blond teen and the man told us that he planned to defeat Jellal and that he wanted our help. Of course, we agreed.

We headed deeper into the tower, ready to face Jellal. We were running along a corridor when suddenly, red eyes appeared on the walls and ceiling and the voice of a man was heard.

"I welcome you to the tower of heaven. My name is Jellal and I am the ruler of this place. I see that all the pieces have been arranged."

"Say what?" Gray commented.

"So he knows that we are here… He could be lurking anywhere in the tower. "The man that introduced himself as Simon, speculated.

"I'm delighted that you've come all this way to see me. Shall we play a round of Heaven's game? The rules are really quite simple. I wish to use Erza or Anora as a sacrifice in my ceremony to resurrect Lord Zeref." He explained and everyone in the room tensed.

"You know that I won't let you…" The edgy blond teen, murmured, gritting his teeth.

"If I succeeded the gates of heaven will open, crowning my victory. However… if you manage to find a way to stop me, you will be the winners of this game." He continued. "To make things more interesting, I've enlisted four knights to battle on my behalf."

"The only way to get to me is if you defeat them first. In other words a four on nine battle royal." He said. "And… there is one more surprise. The magic Council has the satellite square focused directly on this tower and it's highly likely that they will attack." Everyone gasped at the revelation. "At this very moment they are voting to decide if they should fire the Etherion blast. There is no telling how much time there is left. Should the Etherion strike, complete annihilation is eminent. No players left to win. Game over." He said calmly and everyone looked at the ceiling with shock.

"What kind of messed up game is this?" Lucy asked in panic.

"But that doesn't make any sense to me. Why would the Magic Council resort to such drastic measures?" Erza commented.

"Yeah… that doesn't really make sense indeed." I agreed.

Suddenly the blond teen turned Erza into a card.

"Erza!" I, Gray and Lucy yelled in unison from the surprise.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Simon asked, agitated.

"Now then… Let the game begin." Jellal finished and the red eyes disappeared.

"I won't let him lay a finger on her!" The blond guy reasoned. "Let me out of here!" Erza protested. "I 'll beat Jellal on my own if I have to!" The idiot ignored her and ran in a random direction. I was getting really frustrated with tha brat. He ment well but he had to listen when people with experience were talking to him.

"No! You can't do it alone." Simon called after him

"Idiot! Come back here! We need to stay together." I bolted after him. And just like that we were separated from the group.

He had the advantage on me and I didn't know which way he went but thankfully my nose and hearing served me well. I was able to track them down. At the end of the corridor I could hear two people arguing. It was them! I was nearing them. Before I could reach them though a third voice entered their conversation. A woman! I heard yelling and after that a big thud.

I entered a room with a bridge, leading towards a tree with pink leaves. The blond teen, kneeling on the ground, unable to move and a woman standing in front of him with a katana.

"Konichiwa, I am the one they call Ikaruga." She greeted me. I tensed as I sensed the power emanating from her. I took a battle stance. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Anora and if you don't back away now, things are going to get ugly."

"Ahhh… yes, the girl he spoke of…" The woman scanned me.

My interest was piqued. "Who spoke of me?"

The woman smiled. "You will find out in due time. Now if you could be as kind as to get out of the way… You are not mine to battle."

"Well too bad, cus I ain't movin' ." I readied myself for battle. "Be careful Anora, she is dangerous!" I heard Erza yell from her card prison. I nodded.

The moment I focused on my enemy though, I felt that something wasn't right… She was there, in front of me, but her scent and her ethernanos were moving at a lighting fast speed towards me. My eyes widened as I realized that she was attacking me without moving. I dodged to the side, a mark of sword cuts everywhere on the floor at the place where I stood before.

"Impressive… I didn't think that you were that skilled." She gripped the handle of her katana and narrowed her eyes at me.

Without more petty talk I lunged at her.

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** The twin swords appeared in my hands. I used them to block the attacks that I sensed, that she sent at me. I got close to her and tried to strike but she parried with her katana. We stayed like, with locked blades for a minute.

"As much as I would enjoy our little battle here, I am not the one who you should be facing." The woman released a coy smile. Then to my shock, she pushed my twin swords off her katana with ease and landed a crushing blow with her leg at my side, sending me flying into a nearby wall. The impact was so strong that I crashed right through a bunch of walls and finally landing and in a completely different room.

I stood up, holding my stomach.

"That hurt like hell... man…" I looked around. The room was cylindrical in shape, sort of like an arena. The room was very dark, not a single light in view. Thank god for my enhanced vision with which I was able to see somewhat better in the dark. The strange thing about the room was that half of the room mirrored the other half. My search was abruptly stopped as my eyes landed on a figure on the other half of the mirrored room. He was standing exactly at the same place as I was on his half. It was as if I was looking at a mirror but instead of seeing my reflection, I saw someone else. I looked at him more carefully now that my eyes had adjusted fully to the dark. He had short dark hair and a slim body. He was taller than me, probably a few years older. Dressed in a black and white tunic. Suddenly he spoke.

"Long time, no see… Anora." My eyes widened. How did he know me? Had we met before? "Come on… No, 'hi'? No, 'how you've been'?" He said sarcastically.

"Who are you?" I asked as I took a stance.

"My, my… Have you really forgotten me?" I eyed him, trying to find out who he was but I found nothing in my memory. "And here I thought that we would have a nice family reunion." My eyes widened in shock at his words as he let out a coy smile and the whole room lit up, revealing the form of the man standing in front of me. I looked with panic and shock into his deep, brown eyes.

"After all, I've been looking forward to meeting you again... little sis." He said giving me a big smile as he crossed his hands.

"Draco…" I said in a whisper as my mind raced and my whole body tensed. What was going on here?!

 **[The top of the Tower of Heaven.]**

 **Narrator**

Jellal stood in his throne, a table with a chess board on top of it near him. On it, small pieces with different shapes lay. Suddenly the man in the throne picked up the piece that represented a blue and violet dragon and moved it towards another piece that was a mirror.

"Brother versus sister... The Dragon versus it's reflection... My, my, this is going to be interesting…" Jellal said as he sat comfortably on his throne. A menacing smile, creeping on his face.

 **A/N: Oh, the cliffhanger be real… Yes, I know, I'm evil… tell me something I don't know. We are finally entering The Tower of Heaven arc and I am really excited. Mostly for what comes next. I've been planning the next chapter from the very beginning and I'm very eager to write it. I don't really know how to feel about this chapter, was it too rushed or was it going in a steady pace? Leave a review and tell me what you liked or didn't. It really helps me out and I can understand what you guys prefer.**

 **See ya all in the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15: Consequences

**A/N: Holy moly guys! We are already to chapter fifteen! Can ya believe it? I sure can't.**

 **Ok, enough with petty talk, enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter Fifteen

Consequences

My mind was racing, my heart was trying to get out of my chest, sweat was pouring out of me like a waterfall and time seemed to stop. What was that in front of me? A sick joke? An illusion? It can be him! He died!

"What are you!?" I asked the man in front of me with a death glare.

"Ouch, that hurt sis, last time I checked, I was pretty human." He said with crossed hands.

No this can't be true.

"B-But, y-you died that day… in the forest…" I looked at him, tears forming in my eyes.

"No…" He said looking down. "But I wish I had." He looked me dead in the eye and I backed away with a step. "The wizards that were chasing us didn't kill me… Oh no, they kidnapped me!" He started to talk with a voice full of rage.

"They kidnapped everyone that was around. Mom, dad, the maids, no one escaped… Well apart from the second child of the family that is…" He stepped closer. "We were brought to this tower, where we worked as slaves day and night until…" He looked down, his hair hiding his eyes. "…Until one day I couldn't keep it up and I collapsed on the ground… They wanted to punish me but… Dad took the fault, trying to defend me… He died shortly after they took him to the torture chamber because of me." He was coming closer and closer. I put a hand to my mouth.

"Mom died one night after that. She couldn't take it anymore…" He stopped at the end of his part of the mirrored room. He looked at me, not a single tear in his eyes, while mine were threatening to burst out like a fountain. "After that a rebellion occurred. We drove the dark mages away, only to be stopped at the end of the road… Freedom practically at our grasp, taken away from the very girl that started the rebellion. She destroyed the ships that were our one way ticket out of this miserable place." His features darken. "And now… I hear that you are best friends with her…"

"That's not true! Erza didn't do that! Jellal deceived you all." I yelled at him.

"Deceived?" He laughed. "He showed us the truth sis. The dark mages that occupied the tower before were idiots. But with Jellal on the top, we worked hard and completed the R system. He showed us that if we were good servants and help him revive Lord Zeref, that he will give us a place in his new world…" He looked at me with a crooked smile. "In a world where nothing is impossible… Where mom and dad can live again. I know that we need a sacrifice for that to work and that you are a potential one but we can use that Erza girl instead." His smile turned menacing. "It's only fitting that you join me in my quest sis. We can bring them back… together." He extended his hand to me.

I looked at his hand, my whole body shaking. This is not the person I knew. The one who smiled brightly and showed me how to have fun. The one who was always besides me… No he was someone else entirely, someone wracked with grief and desperation.

"No…" I whispered. He frowned.

"What was that?" He asked with a strong voice.

"No!" I yelled. "How can you even consider taking another's life just so we can have our parents back? What would they say when they found out that you killed another person just so you can bring them back?" His hand fell.

"They will understand!" He yelled with voice that held only rage in it.

"No!" I said firmly. "This is wrong!" He stepped back.

"If you don't want to help me by being besides me than you will help me by being the sacrifice!" He took a stance, which was oddly the same as mine and he was standing in the same place on his half of the room.

I lunged at him and he did the same.

"I want my brother back!" I screamed. "You are not him! You are a person filled with desperation and hatred for the world. I'm going to find that cheerful person even if I have to beat him out of you!" He scoffed.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** I yelled and gripped my twin swords with a force that could break a normal blade. I charged at him and he did the same, but to my utter surprise two white twin swords formed around his grip and he charged at me with the same stance. We locked blades in the center of the room.

"What the!?" I asked confused.

"I wield mirror magic sis." He grew a menacing smile as he pushed my swords up and kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying backwards. I stood up from the ground. "I can mirror every single one of your attacks and they would have the same power… but mine have some extra boost from my own magic." He crossed his hand as he went into a position to mirror me again.

"What happened to you? You are not like this!" I said, holding my stomach.

"And how would you know!?" He yelled at full force to my shock. "You weren't here when they took us. You didn't see **them** die! You were saved and lived a happy life and you didn't even look for us!" He glared daggers at me. "And now I give you the chance to redeem yourself by helping me bring them back and you spit in my face!" He yelled angrily. "Did you forget about us so quickly? I heard that you even changed your last name…" My eyes widened as he extended his hand towards me.

 **"** **Mirror's End"** He yelled as he swiped his hand and mirror shards started flying towards me.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Shelter"** I said, supporting the shield that was now around me. The shards broke against the surface of the purplish shield.

"What!? Were we not good enough of a family to you? Is that why you never looked for us? You were so happy to get away from us that you even forgot that we existed?" He gritted his teeth. My memory was filling with all the nightmares I had after the day we parted.

"No…" I said weakly. His words pulling my heart strings. I needed to be stronger than this. I needed to make him see. I needed him back. My expressions hardened and I looked at him dead in the eye. "How can you even suggest that? I thought that you were all dead! I was all alone! I thought every night about that day. I had nightmares every night, reliving the horrors of losing you…" I spat as I swiped my hands at him.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains"** Purplish chains burst from the ground near him and charged at him. The moment they neared him though, that many white chains appeared, coming from him, blocking every single one of mine as if they were hitting a mirror.

"Then help me make things right!" He looked at me coldly.

"But this is not the way to do it!" I argued with him and then shot a twin blast at him but a white one blocked it in the center between us. His one was more powerful though and it got through mine, coming straight at me. I dodged in the nick of time.

"If Zeref is unleashed on the world he will bring about it's end! He won't bring them back! They are dead! They can't come back! The only thing we can do is live our lives to the fullest." I crossed my arms in an 'X' position.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Spectacle."** I formed arrows at his left but instead of white arrows appearing in front of them to stop them, the same amount of white projectiles were standing at my right side. I looked at him and he was in the same stance as me.

We both expanded our hands and the projectiles flew towards us.

 _'_ _I can take this but can he? He may have my magic mirrored but he can't mirror my dragon physique.'_ I took the brunt force of his attack and he took mine.

I fell on my knees and then looked up at him to see him standing tall with crossed hands and a smirk.

"Did you really think that would work? I've trained my body to endure such tactics. It was my only weakness but I have overcome it. My body is as solid as a mountain!" He boasted. Then he looked at me with a deathly glare.

"You are the one who is blind sis. Zeref will bring on an era of truth. Where magic will prosper and the limits would be broken. We CAN bring them back." He clenched his fist and he swiped his hand at my while he looked down.

 **"** **Shattered Existence"** He yelled as shards of a mirror started bursting out of the ground, hitting me straight in the jaw and sending me flying.

I stood up, holding myself so that I don't fall. Cuts and bruises covering my body. The jade dress now ripped apart almost everywhere.

"This is wrong and you know it…" I said weakly and he eyed me funny. "Even if we are able to bring them back, is it worth taking someone else's life or happiness in exchange for ours?" I looked at him. "Please, forget about this ordeal and just come back with me! Embrace the past and look on to the future. Tragedies happen but they shape us into who we are today."

A memory of an empty cave came into my mind, a burning mansion as I walked into a forest. I clenched my fist as I walked towards my brother slowly.

"Every single dark moment rips a part of our soul so that it can be shaped into something new, into the person we are now. But if you stare into the darkness for too long, too much will be taken from you." I looked at him and saw him gritting his teeth. I stood up fully, no longer holding myself. "Our parents died but we are still alive. Look towards the future not the past! You were brought to this miserable state through violence and you want to create more on your own now? How many lives do you intend to rip before you find your 'happiness' ?" I screamed at him and he clenched his fist looking down.

"You may be family Draco but I will not stand a person who is so dismissive of the life of others just so you can achieve your goals. This is wrong! We can't play god and revive whoever we feel like coming back." I yelled at him and took a stance.

His whole face was covered in the shadow of his hair now. "I don't care…" He murmured. "The world is a cruel place! Why must I be content with what taken from me when I can snatch it back?" He screamed.

"Because it's selfish!" I yelled. "Yes! The world is a cruel place, but it is also beautiful if you come out of the shadows and embrace the daylight." I said as I lunged at him and he did the same. "I don't care that you are my big brother, I'm going to beat the evil out of you if I have to!"

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains"** I swiped my arm from the right and the chains started going in his direction. White chains came from my right and I had to dodge making him do it too.

 _'_ _I need a plan here.'_

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Roar"** My violet and blue light was met with pure white light. I gasped.

 _'_ _That's it!'_

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Spectacle"** I concentrated, gathering all the arcania around me and going into the position required to cast the spell. Hundreds of violet and blue arrows appeared on top of Draco and just as I planned, this was too much for him to take so he switched to defence. As many as mine white arrows surrounded his form ready to block the attack. The arrows dissipated into one another on impact.

We both expanded our hands to the side and the arrows flung themselves at each other. The situation seemed neutral, a waste of magical power but that was not true. This attack gave me the opportunity I needed. One word was now lingering in my mind.

 _'_ _Blink'_ In an instant I was standing behind him and he turned around instantly, surprised.

"How did y…?" before he could finish I swung at him with a fist but he blocked like a mirror. The impact made me wince in pain but I continued. He was pretty tough indeed.

"There is a huge flaw in your magic…" I huffed. "I saw that you can either turn yourself into a mirror making yourself the best defence or you can turn the area around you into a mirror, giving you the ultimate offence as your attacks are always stronger but…" I finished with my twentieth punch but I didn't stop. My hands were hurting so much now. "You can't switch between them instantly. It has to be the one or the other. If you were to mirror the area around me you would have blinked at my old location so I made you switch stances before I came over to say hi." I smiled as I continued my flurry of attacks.

"Also, you can't switch between stances while you are under attack so I only need to attack you until you are defeated." I said, sweat pouring out of my head. He looked annoyed.

"Impressive… But futile. I already told you that my body is far stronger than yours, you will break faster than me!" He glared at me as he mirror my punches, his were slightly pushing me backwards with each next attack. He was far stronger than me… but that would soon change.

"You may be right…" I huffed but then I grew a confident smile. "But just as we speak, with every hit you are using a part of your magic to mirror my movements…" I told him. "And that in turn creates arcania that makes me stronger!" I said as I punched harder this time, effectively pushing him further. His eyes widened. "You may copy the strength of my magical abilities but that's the reason why you trained your body isn't it? You can't copy another person's physical abilities." I finished as I could feel the air full of arcania, powering me up.

"Open your eyes!" I said punching hard, pushing him back. "The world promised to you is a lie!" I yelled punching again. "Please, why can't you see…" I punched again with teary eyes, using all the magical power within me to empower it, creating a shock wave of violet and blue light, pushing him to the ground to his surprise.

He fell to the ground with a huge impact, shattering the ground beneath him. He didn't have the strength to get up again. My fists were throbbing and my whole body hurt. I walked over to him and kneeled down holding myself to lessen the pain.

"I-I…" He said weakly. "I just wanted to see them again…" He coughed. "Was that so wrong of me?" He looked at me with sad eyes and I hugged him, crying softly.

"No… of course not." I sobbed, clinging to him tightly. "But… this is just, not the way." I pulled back from the hug and looked him in the eyes with a smile. "They may be gone, but there are so many people out there just waiting to meet you, to become your friend, to fill your loneliness." His eyes watered.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _"Nice weather today." The big dragon joked, smiling at me as we were free falling to the ground._

 _I put up an annoyed look. "This isn't funny." I told him and he just laughed. "Ok. Maybe just a bit." I said, laughing with him..._

* * *

 _"This is Anora, our newest recruit." Master Makarov announced, pointing at me. "She is now part of our ever growing family and I want you to treat her as such. She is an Arcane Dragon Slayer just like Natsu is a Dragon Slayer." He finished introducing me and a cheer boomed from every corner of the guild. Everyone congratulated me and they all went to celebrate with drinking and having fun._

* * *

 _"Come on Natsu." I said, smiling at him. "It was fun. I got to use my new move and maybe next time you can beat me, who knows." He looked joyfully at my words._

 _"Ya betcha. Next time I ain't gonna lose Anora." He said with an ear to ear grin._

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

I pushed away the hair that was in his eyes. "Please come back…" I said with a weak, hoarse voice as my eyes watered even more. "Please, stop living alone and in despair. The past is in the past… You can come with me in Fairy Tail and we can be a family again…" I smiled brightly at him.

"I'd… like… that…" He said weakly as he slipped into unconsciousness.

I got up, still holding my form.

 _'_ _I need to get him out of here.'_ I thought when suddenly I got a wild headache.

"What the…" I held my head as a vision was brought before my eyes.

 _Erza was kneeling down on the cyan crystal next to the fallen body of Simon. "Simon!" She yelled in shock, with tears in her eyes. "I've… always… loved you…" He answered for the last time as his limp body stopped moving and his eyes, stained with tears closed… forever._

I let go of my head, gasping for air.

' _What was that?'_ I thought in panic. Then as if a spark went through my head, realization hit me. Simon was the one that dies in this period… I remembered the summary in my diary.

 _'Aftermath: Someone_ _ **D**_ ** _̷̸͜͏_** ** _IE_** ** _̕_** ** _S_** ** _̶̴̧͘͜'_**

That someone was Simon! Suddenly I noticed the change in the room. It was all a huge blue lacrima.

' _When did this happen?!'_ I looked around in panic. It probably occurred when I had that vision and I didn't notice. I looked down at my unconscious brother. He was still lying on the floor, unmoving.

 _'_ _I guess he should be alright for now…'_ I sighed, this was not a good idea. _'I need to stop Simon before it's to late.'_ I bolted towards the top of the tower as my mind raced of what I was about to do.

On my way towards the tower, I found Simon, lying on the lacrima floor, unconscious. I got over to him and I lifted him up, stirring him awake.

"Simon!" I yelled in his face as I patted him on the cheek. "Come on! Wake up!" I said hurriedly. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Anora?" He asked as he held his head with his right hand.

"Listen! I'm going to go help Erza and Natsu out, I need you to go downstairs and get my brother to safety."

"Brother? But I can't leave you guys here alone!" He protested. I tightened the grip on him.

"Please, you gotta get him out of here. You'll know him when you see him. I'll take care of the rest. We are going to come back alive, trust me. Please, just get out of here!"

He looked at me, saddened.

"Ok, then. You better come back alive!" He ordered as he started running down the tower. I looked at his disappearing form.

"That, I promise…" I murmured underneath my breath.

I ran to the very top of the tower, finding that Natsu was fighting with Jellal and Erza was spectating from the floor. I looked from the side. I couldn't get into the heat of battle like that, less I distract Natsu or I get caught in the crossfire, so I just watched as a silent spectator.

 **"** **Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"** Natsu yelled as he threw a huge fireball at the ground, exploding the crystal floor to pieces. He walked out of the flames with a huge grin. Jellal clenched his fist and looked at the pink haired boy like a mad man.

"Now I'm angry!" He sounded menacing. "I didn't spend years building this tower just to have some punk tear it down! I won't let you!" He screamed.

Natsu just laughed.

"Hehe, tough break pal." Natsu huffed as he held his abdomen, his hair covering his eyes. He was in pain but he didn't show it. "But ya can't say I didn't warn ya… I told you that destroying stuff was… one of my specialties."

Jellal looked out right mad. "I'll make you pay!" He bellowed as he lifted his hands above his head and he swiped them in front of him in an 'X' slash forming a huge golden magical circle with a star on it. Suddenly a huge gust of air was forming everywhere around us. I could barely keep my balance and I wasn't even in front of the attack. I felt immense magical power, even more than when I was faced with the Jupiter Cannon. The air flooded with arcania. Just how powerful was this guy?

"And now! I will plunge you into infinite darkness, Dragon Slayer." He said, lifting his hands in an 'X' position above his head, a sort of a black hole forming behind him.

"Don't do it…" Erza suddenly jumped in front of Natsu, spreading her hands to the sides. "… Unless you want to kill me too!" Jellal stopped for a moment to eye her. Erza had an intensity in her eye that I have never seen before. Suddenly he stopped the casting.

"You don't want to lose your sacrifice to Zeref, do you?" Erza threatened.

He laughed. "The ceremony requires the body of a wizard comparable in strength to one of the Ten Wizard Saints. However, one such person is already walking this tower besides you. I don't need you." He spat as he resumed his casting. Erza and Natsu's eyes widened.

"Watch out, what are you doing?" Natsu yelled at her from behind.

"It's my fault you're involved in this mess." She said with a smile, still with spread hands over him. "The least I can do is protect you." She told him, standing firm.

"Get out of the way!" Natsu screamed at her.

 **"** **Heavenly Body Magic: Altairis"** Jellal finished casting as he threw the dark matter made of shadows at Erza. I could feel the intense gravity pull of the object. It could crush anything in it's way. Acting on instinct I thought of how I wanted to save them.

' _Blink'_

I was standing in front of the blast, between Erza and the flying shadows and I prepared for impact, not paying attention to Natsu and Erza's surprise.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Shel…"** I couldn't even finish when I heard a familiar voice.

 **"** **Reflection Swap."** I man's voice yelled and I found myself standing at the entrance to the top of the tower. I looked at the place of impact, my eyes widening in horror at the scene. The one who took the brunt force of the blast was none other than… Draco.

My mind couldn't process what was going on and I didn't even notice that I started running at his falling form, screaming his name. Natsu and Erza watched us in shock as I ran to his collapsed body and held him.

"Just… in… time…" He said weakly as he smiled at me.

"Why…. You big idiot, why…" I sobbed holding onto him. "I could have taken it! Why did you do this!" I asked in a whisper.

"We both know… that you… couldn't have taken that… without dying…" He argued meekly. More tears started coming out. I knew he was right.

Jellal walked next to us.

"I had no idea you were still crawling around the tower, you despicable traitor." He spat at Draco.

I ignored the man, I looked at my dying brother. "Why didn't you escape with Simon? Why did you have to come back?!" I cried in his chest as he ruffled my hair.

"It's ok… sis…" He was becoming weaker with every second. "You were right… there is so much… more to this world… than despair…" He said. "So don't cry over me… I would do it again…" He started closing his eyes.

I patted him on the cheek. "Stay with me… please, don't leave… Not again! Not after I found out that you are alive! Please don't do this to me…" The last words died on my mouth as I cried my heart out.

He swallowed a huge lump. "At least… I can… get to… see them… again." He smiled looking at the sky. "Goodbye… sis, Anora…" He closed his eyes, that were filled with tears and stopped moving.

I shook him slightly. "Draco…" I whispered. I shook him harder. "Draco!" I yelled. "Wake up!" I screamed. "PLEASE WAKE UP!" I screamed at everything, the world mostly, as I hugged his limp body and cried in his chest.

 **Natsu**

Me and Erza watched Anora from the side. Wide eyes, staring the scene in front of us in shock. We watched her as she cried in, who seemed like, her brother's chest. Erza broke her shock and ran to the crying blond and kneeled next to her. Holding her in her arms gently as she tried to comfort her. Jellal took a step forward, towards them. He started laughing and I could feel the fire within me stirring.

"What a perfectly foolish thing to do! He tried to play the hero. The big brother that protects his innocent little sister, but his death won't change a thing!" He said with maniacal laughter. "Draco gave his life to save yours but he should have known that I'm not letting any of you, leave this tower alive." He yelled towards us and I had enough of him already.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled as I punched him with all the might I could muster. He screamed in agony as he connected with the lacrima wall behind him.

I clenched my fist and dug into the floor beneath me, taking a huge chunk of Etherion and started to consume it.

"I can't believe this… He is eating the ethernano from the Etherion blast." Jellal commented.

I swallowed the lacrima and I felt the power surge through me. I could feel the ground beneath me shatter as I let out an angry roar and then slammed my fists on the ground, sending a shockwave toward Jellal.

Suddenly I could feel the elements within me, choking me. The lacrima contained more elements than just fire and I had consumed them all. My hands reached my neck as I started choking and I started rolling on the ground.

"How could you be so stupid? Ethernano is made of all types of elemental magic, it'll poison you!" Erza scolded with concern. I stood up.

 _'_ _I'm going to overcome this… So I can never see Erza cry again. So that I can see the smile on Anora's face again. I'm going to do this for them!'_ I thought as I held my neck, fighting with everything I had to stay conscious.

Suddenly, the pain I was feeling transformed into pure heat as I let out a roar, engulfing myself in flames. I could feel scales forming on my forehead and I looked up at Jellal's shocked expression. I didn't hesitate to lunge at him with full force.

"HOW DARE YOU MOCK THEM!" I yelled at him as I jumped from him into a pillar to use it to thrust myself towards him once again. I tackled him, breaking the floor with him.

"YOU MADE ERZA AND ANORA CRY!" I screamed in his face. "I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS! I MADE A PROMISE AND I'M NOT GONNA BREAK IT." I yelled as I remembered the promise that I made that I would take care of those two. "HURT THEM AGAIN AND I WILL KILL YOU!" I continued, showing my sharp canines along the way.

"Your threats don't scare me!" Jellal announced as a golden magical circle appeared in his hand.

 **"** **Meteor!"** He yelled and started running back up the tower, escaping my clutches. He already used that trick when we fought, it won't work again. I broke my fall by using my hands against two walls and then started chasing after him again. He was so sure that I wasn't going to be able to capture him but I was able to get to him and I was just about to punch him right in the gut when a purplish chain latched on to me and sent me flying down to the ground. Jellal got some distance between us, before he stopped to asses what had happened.

I stood up from the ground holding my head and then looked up to see what had happened. "What the…" I looked up to see Anora, standing near me, a purplish chain, coming out of her hand. But she was so different. Her bright green eyes had turn deep purple with hints of blue, her hair was a mixture of both colors. The most shocking feature was the azure scales with a purple hue around them, covering her skin.

She glared at me with those purple eyes and muttered only a few words. "He is mine…" And then she disappeared from sight, to my utter shock.

 **Anora**

I looked down at Natsu, who I had taken down. He wasn't going to touch Jellal, that privilege goes to me! I looked at him as he stood up.

"What the…" He said as he looked at me, shock overtaking him.

"He is mine…" I hissed lowly as I blinked away next to Jellal. What had happened to me? After I was over my grief the only thing I could feel was rage, regret, desperation, loneliness. I wanted to do something about it but I was too weak. And it was then that I felt it. The incredible amount of arcania in the air. As if it was calling for me to take it. So much power I felt I could rip the world apart.

I stood up and Erza tried to stop me but I ignored her completely. I started to consume the arcania all around me feeling my power skyrocketing. I started to glow in a purplish and blue hue. I saw my hair changing color and I could feel it within me. Azure scales started to grow around me form and without any more doubt I knew what this feeling was.

 **"** **Dragon Force."**

And this is how I found myself facing off with Jellal, feeling as if I had a never ending reserve of magical power. Natsu and Erza were watching me from the sides.

"That was foolish of you!" He mocked as I clenched my fist. "He could have been able to defeat me there but you intervene thinking you could do better?" He laughed but I said nothing and just lunged at him.

His eyes widened and he jumped into the air and started swiping his arms left and right, shooting golden arrows at me. I blinked in and out of existence to dodge them with ease as I neared him. He watched in shock. Before it was really tiring to do just a single blink and now I was doing it as if I was walking.

Without any more thoughts and just acting on instinct I teleported behind him as he was still in the air, not even giving him the chance to turn back.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Roar."** I bellowed and an outburst of violet and blue light came out of my maw, tackling him to the ground. I would not give him pause though. I crossed my arms as I blinked to the ground.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Spectacle."** I expanded my arms and hundreds of purplish and blue arrows started flying towards his direction. He dodged with his 'Meteor' ability, using it to gain speed , but as he turned around to look at me I blinked on top of him and slammed him into the ground. He huffed as he got up and then jumped into the air again. I eyed him cearfully.

"Enough of this!" He screamed. "I'm going to end this here and now! I'm destined to create a land of freedom! I'm the chosen one! I'm the one who will create a land that's truly free and you won't stop me!" He screamed as he swiped a few times at the air creating a ginormous brown magical circle. Natsu and Erza gasped.

"And you are gonna do that by taking the rights of everyone else in the world ?" I argued with his logic.

"If that's what it takes to make this world a better place, then so be it!" He spat as he finished the magical circle.

"He is casting the Abyss Break." Erza mumbled. "But why?" She cried out. "You'll destroy the tower so many died to create"

He smiled menacingly. "This tower means nothing to me. You see, now that I have built it, I can make another in half the time. Lord Zeref, your hour is near!" He yelled but I cut him out in the end and everyone's eyes fell on me.

"I've had enough of your delusions!" I screamed. "Your stupidity and selfishness alone led to so many deaths! It ends here and now!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"He looked at me with a curious smile. "You're right, this ends here!"

 **"** **Abyss Bre…"** He started but he never finished as he was hit by my twin blast with such a speed that I surprised myself. He winced as he fell to the ground.

I slammed the palms of my hands to each other as if I was saying a prayer. Slowly I parted them, revealing strong azure light in my right hand and a deep violet in my left one. I formed a circle with them, half violet, half blue and then in an instant, I parted my arms to the side. A huge magical circle formed in front of me. Almost triple my size. It was half azure and half purple with a mighty dragon head in the middle.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Secret Art: Arcania's Wrath: Grand Skyfall!"** I yelled as the earth beneath me started to shake. Jellal was still stunned from the fall. White lights started forming high above the sky. They gathered at one spot, creating a huge mass of white light that started falling towards Jellal with immense speed. It left a trail of brilliant purple, with a mixture of blue as it fell.

It landed near him, exploding into millions of white particles, obliterating parts of the tower around the impact. Jellal was sent flying with great speed up in the sky. As he saw an opening, Natsu used his fire to jump straight towards Jellal.

"You'll never know what it is to be free!" Natsu yelled, as the flames around him turned into a flaming dragon. "Not as long as you are possesed by that spirit. Why are you letting him manipulate you?" Jellal watched with shock at the coming form in front of him. "You can do it Jellal! Free yourself!" Jellal's eyes widened as Natsu yelled, punching him with such a force that when the man fell to the ground, he fell through the floor all the way down to the first level of the tower.

Natsu landed next to me, the impact cracking the ground beneath him. The power of the Dragon Force fading away from us. I saw my hair turning blonde again and I lost my balance but Natsu caught me. Erza was watching from the side with astonishment and shock on her features.

"Wow, I gotch ya, Anora." He smiled down at me. I felt my eyelids become heavy. I used way too much power, too fast. After everything that happened today I wanted nothing more than to just plunge into darkness and so I did. The last thing I remember was Erza rushing towards me.

 **A/N: Oh. My. God. It's finished! I need to lie down now. This is the longest chapter yet, 6100 words and just as I reached 5000 words there was a power outage and I lost the document, which ment that I had to start from the beginning. *cries in spanish* So, effectively I wrote 12000 words today, more or less. I hope you guys enjoyed.**

 ** _THUD_**

 **Hey, guys, Anora here. FlamingB1rd is currently on the ground, kidna not moving… so I guess I'll be taking you off... Leave a review and tell me how bad ass you think I was in this chapter. And as the author says:**

 **See ya all in the next chapter. Bye!**


	16. Chapter 16: I Will Keep on Smiling

**A/N: I'm sorry for the sudden ninja invasion in your homes people! It had to be done! I even gave them stronger onions this time!**

 **Other than that, enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Sixteen

For Them, I Will Keep on Smiling

I woke up in my room at the hotel. I quickly bolted into a sitting position on my bed. I was still in my torn jade dress and it seemed like it was night already. I had bandages all over my body. It took some time for the memories to come flooding back. I really wished they hadn't. I fell down on my back as I contemplated what happened back at the tower. It couldn't have been real, right? I mean he isn't dead, right? It was all just a nightmare and we haven't even been to the tower? At that moment I heard Lucy and Erza walking down the corridor outside my room. They were having a quiet conversation and I listened in with my heightened hearing.

"How is she?" Lucy asked Erza, concern in her voice.

"She's been out for the whole day. I can't blame her, after all that happened…" Erza said with sadness in her voice.

My eyes widened. _'No… No, please don't say it.'_

"The guy that defended you guys, he was her brother?" Lucy asked with a mixture of sadness and curiousness.

"From what we gathered… yes." She sighed. "She didn't talk much about her life before she met her dragon father but she did tell us that she had a brother who saved her life by sacrificing his. Apparently he had actually survived and ended up in that accursed place… He gave his life so that we can survive…" Erza told her.

Tears formed in my eyes as my greatest nightmare was just confirmed. I cried silently.

 _'B-But… I made… a promise.'_ I sobbed quietly, continuing to listen to the girls' conversation.

"That's horrible…" Lucy's voice grew closer as they approached the door to my room.

"It's all my fault… If it wasn't for me she wouldn't have been dragged into this mess…" Erza said silently.

"Don't say that! It's not your fault, Erza. No one could have guessed what would happen. Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure that Anora doesn't blame you…" Lucy assured her.

"I hope so…" Erza said weakly. "Let's go check on her." She suggested.

The door to my room was then suddenly opened as the two girls entered. I sighed as I looked at the ceiling, wiping the tears off my eyes. I looked at them as they drew near and when they saw that I was awake they hurried next to the bed.

"Anora, you're finally awake." Erza pointed out as she kneeled near the bed. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm fine… physically anyways…" I answered and Erza and Lucy frowned a bit.

"I'm sorry for what happened Anora. I will understand if you hate me for dragging you into this." Erza lowered her head, not looking at me.

I smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't hate you Erza…" She looked at me. "It was no one's fault…" I said wiping a tear. "And besides… I need to move on. I need to look towards the future, instead of wallowing in self pity. Draco would want that for me…" I sighed heavily. "And besides, I would be a major hypocrite if I did what I told my brother not to do…" I tried to lighten the mood, but failed miserably.

"We'll always be here for you Anora." Lucy smiled gently at me. I forced a smile.

"Yeah…" I sniffed. "That's why you guys are the best…" A single tear fell from my eye across my cheek.

"You should rest up now."Erza stood up. "You must be exhausted from everything that happened." She observed.

"Yeah… A bit." I answered honestly.

"We'll leave you now, see you in the morning Anora." Lucy and Erza waved at me and left the room.

I sighed heavily as I began staring at the ceiling again.

 _'Why did this always happen to me?'_ I wondered. ' _First my whole family is destroyed and disbanded, our house left a ruin. Then my adoptive father had to leave. Then, when I finally found my brother he had to die!'_ I yelled in my mind. Why was the world so unfair! I thought that maybe, since I was reborn in this world, I would have a second chance but everything just repeated itself.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _A small girl, a form from a distant past, stood in the middle of a funeral place. The girl being no bigger than four years old held a woman's hand._

 _"Mommy why is daddy just lying there?" The girl asked her mother. The woman with tears in her eyes didn't answer her daughter. Men and women in dark stood all around. A police squad at the front with the mother and daughter. Everyone bending down at the words of the girl._

 _"Why are the people putting dirt over him?" The girl asked._

 _"They are burying him dear." The mother sobbed._

 _"But… but then how will he come home?" The girl looked her mother right in the eyes. Her green eyes piercing the woman's soul. She lifted the girl and pulled her into a tight hug._

 _"He… Daddy won't be coming home any more sweety." The girls eyes widened._

 _"B-But he promised, mommy! He told me that he was going to put the bad person away and then come back!" The girl screamed. "Stop! Don't do it." The girl started clawing, trying to reach for the coffin. "Don't bury him! He has to come home… he has to!" The blonde cried. "H-he promised…" She cried into her mother's shoulder as the woman pulled her in._

 _"Shh, don't cry. We have to be strong. Just like daddy told us remember? We have to look to the future and not the past. He will always be with us, weather we see him or not…" The woman said through sobs._

 _Everyone present was heartbroken at the scene, as the hole in the ground was fully filled._

* * *

 _Seven years later… In the middle of the night, heavy coughing was heard. A small blonde girl with wide green eyes stood up from her bed and rubbed her eyes. She walked towards the source of the wheezing. It led the girl to her mother's room where she found said woman in her bed, coughing intensely._

 _"Mom?" The girl lighted a little lamp on the side of her mother's bed. The woman coughed strongly as she put her hand to her mouth. When she lowered it, it was covered in blood._

 _"I'm fine sweety, don't worry." The woman said weakly._

 _"Are you sure? You don't look good mom." The clever girl eyed her mother skeptically, not realizing the magnitude of the situation. She couldn't have known, because her mother didn't inform her of her critical condition she was in. Of the tumor in her lungs... She had severe lung cancer that was deemed inoperable..._

 _"Do you want to sleep with me tonight, dear?" The mother asked meekly._

 _"Sure!" The girl hopped excitedly next to her mother. "Mom, are you sure that you are alright? Maybe you should go to the doctor tomorrow." She suggested._

 _The woman forced a smile. "I will, dear. Don't worry. I love you…" Her mother told her with sadness in her voice which confused the little girl. She kissed her daughter on the forehead._

 _"I love you too mom…" The girl answered without thinking much about it. Little did she know that that was the last night with her mother before she too was buried in the ground, right next to her father._

 _The little girl had cried for days and nights afterwards. Since her only relative left was her uncle, he had to take the girl in, to her horror. That man was anything but nice._

* * *

 _Years passed and the girl locked her heart in herself, not feeling emotion to the colors of the world. Death was just a means to an end, a happy moment was still just a regular moment, as were the sad moments and the word 'smile' was all but forgotten._

 _Growing with her uncle, the girl was beaten, abused and yelled at. Her 'caretaker' was drunk most of the time and he didn't hesitate to use her as an anti stress ball. He forced her to do the chores in home and obey everything he asked for. And the worst part was that no one dared to do a thing about it because he was rich. And yet, the girl who knew only sadness and evil, grew up to be nice and shy. Even if she held no emotion she cared for others. She was compassionate towards her friends, no matter how few._

 _She viewed the world in black and white. Numb from the countless beatings and yells, she grew to mistrust most people. Instead she found solace in her books and anime. In the worlds that had a happy ending. A door to adventure and magic and happiness._

 _She had few friends in school but she didn't mind, she liked being alone. But the most sad part was that the girl_ _had all but forgotten the words of her father from when she was little._

* * *

 _He bent down next to his daughter as he was leaving for work. He was a cop and they had called him in for a robbery in the nearby bank. Her mother was standing beside her, a hand on the girl's shoulder._

 _"Sweety, I want you to listen carefully now. No matter what happens tonight, remember to always look forward to the future. Don't look at the past as if it was now. The past is there to teach us while tomorrow is waiting for us to embrace it." The man smiled as he ruffled his four year old daughter's hair._

 _"That sounds nice!" The little girl hugged her father before he kissed the woman, standing over the girl and exited the house, never to return._

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

At this point, I could swear that I had drilled a hole through the ceiling with my stare. I sighed heavily as I closed my eyes.

 _'No! Never again! I will not curl in a ball and shun the world away like I did last time! I am going to live my life to the fullest! For those who would wish for me to be happy, I shall march forward! And whenever I feel lonely, I just need to remember that they will always be with me, right here…'_ I thought as I put a hand on my heart, a light smile, making it's way on my face as I fell asleep.

The next day I met with the others and told them my train of thought. They were shocked to say the least. They probably thought that I would take it really hard. And were it my first time, I probably would but… sadly, that was not the case. My friends were all feeling bad for me but in the end I think that they were also genuinely happy for me, that I could get over the tragedy that is. Of course they told me that if I ever needed a shoulder to rely on, they'd be there for me. I couldn't have asked for better friends…

Natsu slept for three days straight. He was really tired after eating that Etherion I guess. And Gray had informed us that Juvia had gone to the guild to join Fairy Tail so that was that. I was yet to meet Juvia in real life.

Erza's old friends joined us as we continued our holiday. For the rest of the vacation we laughed, played silly games, had friendly challenges between each other and overall enjoyed ourselves. That was until the last day of our vacation, when Erza's old friends decided to leave and go on their separate ways. We caught wind of their plan but instead of stopping them, we gave them a proper Fairy Tail parting, filled with lots of tears and fireworks. Afterwards we headed back to the guild.

* * *

 **[The next day in front of the newly built Fairy Tail guild.]**

"Wow" We all exclaimed in unison.

"Well this is a surprise." Erza remarked.

"They finished building it?" We all yelled in excitement as we rushed inside the outer area of the guild.

"Are you kidding me? We gotta café now?" Gray looked around.

"Look!" I pointed out. "We even have a gift shop!" I squealed in excitement.

"Do we really need it?" Lucy asked, crestfallen as the two of us approached the shop that was ran by Max.

"Hey, you guys made it back ok." Max greeted. "What's new?" He asked. Happy flied to him. "They got you working the gift shop Max?" The blue feline asked. "It's been a while since we've seen you around the guild."

"Well, Master wanted me to go back to school to take some business classes." He said with a smile as Lucy ran towards him, me following after her.

"You're Max Alors!" She said like a fan girl. "I've raid all about you in Sorcerer's Weekly!" She was definitely a fan girl. Max smiled sheepishly and turned to her.

"Yes ma'am, that'd be me!" He answered. "And you know, I've heard a lot about you too, Lucy."

"I don't want to think about the crazy things they probably told ya." Lucy shrank. I came to the bar.

"Hey Max! How've you been?" I greeted cheerfully. "Oh hey, Anora. Long time no see." He greeted.

"Mhm." I hummed. "So, what do you sell here?" I asked, curious.

"We've got T-shirts, wristbands, mugs, towels and of course, there is our most popular item." He said, handing a Lucy action figure to Happy. The blue ball of fur took it in it's hands with excitement.

"Wow… A Lucy action figure?" He asked no one in particular.

"No one ever asked me if I was cool with that!" Lucy commented.

"She is posable!" Max added. "And her clothes come off." He smirked as the doll's clothes, except the bikini and the bra, came off. Lucy screamed in my ear, splitting it in half as I flinched form the pain… With my heightened hearing, a scream so loud, so close, hurt like hell and I think that I had partial deafness after that.

After that, we said our goodbyes to Max and entered into the guild hall. Erza, Gray and Natsu following behind us.

"Mmm, I can get used to this." Erza commented with crossed hands as she looked around.

Gray and I noticed Natsu skulking in the back, snuggling in his scarf.

"Hey man, what's wrong?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, you seem down since you've entered the guild?" I added. He just snuggled deeper into his scarf.

"I'm not good with change." He said irritated. At that moment Levy waved at us. She beckoned us to follow her and then proceeded to give us a quick tour, Natsu not liking any part of it. I on the other hand was excited to the bone. Now we had a swimming pool and even a game room. The biggest change was that now, everyone was allowed on the second floor.

At the end of our quick tour, Master Makarov approached us. "Well, I'm glad you dunderheads made it back safely." He said behind us. We all turned to look at him.

"Master." Erza greeted. After we looked at his direction we saw a young woman standing beside him with a blue dress, with her hands behind her back and a sheepish smile on her face. And that's when it clicked.

"I'd like you to meet Fairy Tail's newest member." Master said cheerfuly as he extended a hand to point at none other than Juvia. "Juvia. Isn't she a cutie?" Master commented.

Juvia bowed slightly, picking her dress with two fingers at the sides. "I can't wait to work with you." She said with a huge smile.

Gray laughed lightly. "So you made it in, huh?" Erza stepped forward. "Thanks so much for helping us in Akane." She thanked.

Juvia just smiled brightly. "No, I should be thanking you, because of you, I found a new guild!" She exclaimed happily.

"Hey girl!" Lucy greeted her excitedly. Juvia looked agitated. "We will fight for Gray!" She demanded. "That won't be necessary." Lucy quickly tried to avoid her gaze. Ok then… It was my turn now.

I stepped forward and extended a hand towards her.

"Hey Juvia, I don't think that we've been introduced properly, I'm Anora." I smiled at her. Her eye ticked and I flinched under her intense stare.

"A new love rival?!" I swallowed a lump as she stared at me with her blue eyes. I leaned closer putting a hand next to my mouth so as to no one except her to hear me. Of course I made it so everyone would hear. "Gray's all yours if you become my friend and stop calling me love rival, deal?" I arched an eyebrow as the girls eyes sparkled. She just nodded frantically. Gray looked redder than Erza's hair and everyone else laughed as he started scolding us.

Master coughed near us, taking our attention. "We've also added another new member to the guild. Someone you might recognize." He pointed towards a table behind us and we all turned around. To our surprise we saw Gajeel, well to the other's surprise, I already knew that this would happen.

Everyone else gasped.

"What!? Him!? Are you kidding me?" Gray commented. Gajeel was staring at us with his red eyes, unfazed.

"Gajeel" Natsu yelled as he took a fighting stance with Gray. "Why did you let him in here gramps?" Gray asked angrily. Juvia quickly ran next to them, trying to stop them. "Calm down, I asked him to come along with me."

Erza looked with her angry look towards him. "I don't mind Juvia but he is the one responsible for destroying our guild hall." Gajeel huffed and looked the other way. I tried to smoothen the situation.

"Oh come now guys, don't be like that. The past is in the past." I skipped a heartbeat saying that. "P-People might surprise you sometime. There must be a reason Master trusted him enough to make him a member." They all looked at me confused as to why I was being so friendly to him but Master answered instead of me.

"Now, now, everyone listen to Anora. Remember what I taught you? Yesterday's enemy can be today's friend, right?

Levy commented, hiding behind a table. "Yeah, If I'm ok with him being here then you should be too guys." She said meekly. Jet and Droy gave Gajeel some nasty stares. Natsu walked to him and slammed a fist on the table.

"There ain't no way! I can't work with someone I can't trust." Gajeel turned towards him, looking him right in the eye. "What's the big deal? It's not like I wanna be your buddy." He said and Natsu yelled. "Man that's cold!"

Gajeel stood up and Natsu backed away a bit. "The only reason I'm here is to get work. I hate this stupid guild and everyone in it but times are tough so I had no choice but to join." He said angrily.

"Shut up loser!" Natsu said as if he was fighting with Gray. Juvia tried to calm them down. "Sorry but Gajeel was having a hard time finding work and I couldn't just turn my back on him but I don't want you to think that I have a crush on him or something like that." She said waving her hands in front of Gray, sweat pouring out of her as if she was in an oven.

Master Makarov replaced his cheerful mood with a stern expression. "I know that you kids don't like it but as the master of this guild, it is my duty to help those who have gone stray, find the right path. Give him a shot, you might find that he is a nice guy." He said looking to the side with sweat on his forehead. "At least I hope so." He muttered in the end.

"While I may not agree with you, I will respect your decision." Erza commented. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Come now guys, he may have been bad before but it was just out of loyalty to his guild… Don't be so hard on the guy." Erza wasn't convinced though. "I'm still gonna be keeping an eye out for him." She said sternly.

Natsu and Gajeel continued to growl and stare at each other until I parted them. After that we made our way to a table. Suddenly the lights died. We were wondering what had happened until a spotlight illuminated the stage in front of us, revealing Mira, holding a guitar.

"Hey, we made it back Mira." Natsu greeted her.

She nodded. "Good to see you." She waved at us, then got her attention on the guitar again. "I'd like to dedicate this song to Fairy Tail's strongest team." She said, looking down at the guitar with a gentle smile. "… And to congratulate them on their safe return." She added as she sat at a chair that was provided at the stage. She made a gentle stroke at the guitar and the guild boomed in approval and encouragement.

Mira started singing as our team listened, while sitting on a table near the stage. A beautiful tune flew through the air. It was a slow song.

 _I brush the desk with you gone…_

 _My shadow drops…_

 _Alone again, today…_

 _Looking up at the starry sky,_

 _I say a prayer…_

Our little team watched with gentle smiles on our faces. Natsu was the only one sulking at the table. He was lying silently on it, drinking a smoothy.

 _You are now under this same sky…_

She picked up the pace with her guitar.

 _Even when your shaking with tears…_

 _Even when it's seems like you'll lost to the darkness…_

 _Don't forget…_

That part struck a cord with me and a silent tear fell down my cheek despite the smile I was having. The others noticed.

"Are you ok, Anora?" Erza asked silently, concern in her voice. She had figured out why I was like this now. The others looked at me with expecting eyes.

"Yeah…" I whispered, using a finger to remove the tear. I turned towards Mira to continue listening, sensing the stares on my back that the others were giving me.

 _You always have…_

 _You always have a place to return to…_

 _You always have people waiting for you to return…_

She finished the nice song and stood up from the chair. The guild exploding in cheers.

"Awesome! Who's up next?" Makao yelled. Erza turned towards me.

"Maybe you should give it a try. You've never actually sang in the guild before." She said and the others turned towards me with confused looks.

"You can sing?" Lucy asked, sparkles in her eyes. Natsu just arched an eyebrow towards me from his spot at the table as he continued to lay there and Gray waited for me to say something.

Before I could answer, Erza did that for me. "She can sing and play on different instruments even. There was this one time I caught her doing it and I made her sing to me a bit. I was quite surprised." She informed them.

"I've seen you once or twice with the guitar but I never knew that you could sing." Gray commented with crossed arms, sitting in his seat, half naked...

I started waving hands in front of her. "Erza! I thought you weren't going to tell anyone… I shouldn't have sang you that song last time…" I crossed my hands and looked at Gray. "And can you please put on some clothes."

"Oh crap!" Gray was startled as he looked down and then propmtly put on a T-shirt.

"Oh come now Anora, the song was nice and you have a beautiful voice. Don't be embarrassed, we are all friends here." She smiled at me. She was probably trying to get my mind off of Mira's song.

"Maybe some other time…" I denied politely as a new spotlight beamed on the stage, taking our attention. To everyone's surprise, it was Gajeel, in a white costume, holding a guitar, with crossed legs, sitting on the chair that Mira was on not too long ago. Everyone's cheer was abruptly stopped. That actually made Natsu stand up from the table.

"What the!?" He asked dumbfounded.

Gajeel was calm and collected and just spoke as if he was in a group with his buddies. "I wrote a new song called 'Best Friend' , would you like to hear it?" He asked, not really awaiting an answer. Everyone was 'booing' and throwing vegetables at him. Mostly tomatoes but he was unfazed.

"Here it goes." He started as he made a stroke at the guitar.

 _Colorful, colorful…_

 _Shooby doo bop!_

 _Tremble with love, gray metallic! (2x)_

Everyone was looking dumbfounded with our mouths agape. He was well… he was certainly something. I mean I kinda remember this from the anime but it's a whole 'nother experience when it's live… Let's just say I didn't want this to become something regular...

 _Doo doo doo… Shalala._

 _Shooby doo bop… Shalala._

 _Bite into it, hard. Sweet honey…_

Natsu had put his arms to his ears at this point as he yelled. "Man this has gotta be the worst song I've ever heard!" That comment earned him a guitar to the face as Gajeel continued to sing with a harmonica. I giggled and Natsu burst into rage.

"You want a piece of me?" He said as he lept towards the stage with a leg ready for a kick. Gajeel did the same screaming 'Shooby doo bop' in the process. They started fighting in a puff of smoke. I laughed. It was like watching Gray and Natsu.

 **Narrator**

In the midst of the chaos a mug was thrown, hitting Natsu right in the face.

"Ow!" He said, rubbing his cheek. "Which one of you wise guys threw that?" He yelled, looking around with a clenched fist near his head. That started a chain reaction which would not end well.

Gray stood up from his seat to scold him but in the process bumped into Erza who was nomming on her strawberry cake without a care in the world… until she dropped it on the ground that is…

"Natsu! Would you stop screwing around already?" Gray scolded as Erza looked at the cake on the ground with pure terror. Anora was watching Erza with a terrified expression from her seat as the red headed warrior talked slowly.

"He… made me drop… my strawberry cake…" She was talking in disbelief.

"Uhh, Erza…" Anora tried to calm Erza down but before she could even finish her sentence, Elfman squashed the red headed girl's cake on the ground as he clenched his fist in the air, unknowing of what evil he had unleashed. Anora flinched at that. Erza promptly screamed in horror as her eyes widened.

"Listen up! If you are real men, you'd take this outside!" Elfman yelled but right as he finished, an armored leg kicked him square in the jaw. Anora face palmed on the table.

"WATCH IT YOU OAF!" Erza screamed bloody murder as she delivered her blow on Elfman. At that point the chaos was coming full circle as fire was going everywhere, followed by ice and iron. Erza was terrorizing anyone who would dare show their face to her. Lucy and Happy were hiding behind the counter and Anora was sitting silently on the table, drinking her drink and just moving her head to the side at times to dodge a projectile or two. That was until a cake hit her right in the face.

After that the guild started glowing with a violet and blue light in addition to the fire, ice, iron and swords. There were people on brooms, lighting strikes, sand flying around, plants strangling people, some random guys trying to eat each other and an old, short man in an orange sweater, who was crying violently in the middle of the guild hall. But all in all, everyone was having fun. Amidst all the chaos, a particular young man with pink hair finally dropped his skulking and with a huge toothy grin on his face exclaimed. "Now it's starting to feel like home."After that he was suddenly punched with an iron rod.

That day, from even miles away, you could see the Fairy Tail guild, jumping from it's place with puffs of smoke and different lights coming out the windows.

* * *

 **[That same day at night. Anora's room.]**

 **Anora**

I was sitting at my desk. A pencil in hand and a violet book in front of me. I was finishing writing in my diary of the things that had happened and of things that I had remembered from my old life. Through the years, I had decided to write of my old life as a whole and not just about the anime. It may have been a sad period in my existance but it was part of who I once was, so I didn't want to forget it. I was just reviewing my handy work when a certain line caught my eye, as it had been doing the whole night.

 _"Don't look at the past as if it was now. The past is there to teach us while tomorrow is waiting for us to embrace it." –from a life, long since finished, Dad._

 ** _NEVER FORGET!_** _For dad, for mom, old and new, for Inoreth, for Draco and for everyone who I know or will know… For them, I will keep on smiling..._

I closed the book with a sigh. I would really put an effort in continue going forward. I stood up and walked to my bed, already having taken a bath. I was in my azure shirt with the dragon emblem on the chest. I just plopped down on the bed and enveloped myself in the comforting sheets, a gentle smile resting on my face. The moonlight, coming from the window gently touching my skin as I feel into a peaceful slumber, one not bothered by endless nightmares like last time.

 **A/N: OMG, it is finished! THIS CHAPTER! The world was against me writing this chapter! I usually do the chapters in one sitting for 3-4 hours but this one took me 13, yes 13 sittings through the weekend. Every time I sat down to write something different happened, making me not able to continue it. O.o So sorry, I was planning on two weekend bonus** **chapters but that won't be possible now. =(**

 **Well at least now you guys know why I was so excited by the Tower of Heaven arc. It was where we have our first real change in the timeline and where some plot twists take action. We also have background on Anora's old life. *totally innocent coy smile* Next up is the "Battle of Fairy Tail" arc.**

 **BTW, how do you guys prefer it? Should I make Juvia talk like in the manga, in third person? Or as she is in the anime (normal speach)?**

 **See ya guys in the next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17: The Gathering Storm

**A/N: Hey everybody! We are entering the "Battle of Fairy Tail" arc now! I want to announce that the votes for how should Juvia speak are 4:2 for her to speak in third person, so from now on, whenever there is a scene with her, she will talk like she does in the manga.**

 **With that being said, enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Seventeen

The Gathering Storm

Two days after that, the town was preparing for the Fantasia Fesitval. I was very excited. There were balloons all around us, clowns, magic, gift shops, games, everything fun you can think of. As of right now though, me and Erza were preparing for the Miss Fairy Tail contest. We were behind the curtains on the stage in our guild hall. Lucy and Juvia had just arrived and Max was already in front of the curtains, announcing who is next to go on the stage. Me, Erza and Lucy were peeking from behind the corner of the curtains, watching how the others would present themselves. The first round was showing off our magic.

"The long wait is finally over ladies and gentleman." Max announced. "Welcome, to the one and only, Miss Fairy Tail contest where your favourite fairies fight in a battle of beauty. I am Max Alors, sand wizard extraordinaire and I will be your host for this exciting event!" The crowd cheered.

"Now! Let's meet entry number one!" Max pointed behind him dramatically with one hand without turning around. "The exciting beauty who will drink you under the table any day of the week." Now he turned around to face the girl standing behind him, the spotlight going to her. "Cana Alberona!" Everyone whistled and cheered.

"Now bust out some magic and show us your stuff!" Max encouraged.

She used her cards to change her clothing into a swimsuit. I heard Lucy behind me clench a fist as she put on a grumpy face. "A swimsuit? No fair!" She pouted.

"That's a clever idea, maybe I should try it too!" Erza retorted beneath me. Lucy gasped, looking at her. "You're in this too? And you Anora?!" She asked with shock. I nodded.

"Hmmm… Whenever I hear the word contest I get all worked up." Erza commented.

"And I just like to prove that I'm better than Erza." Said girl pressed her forehead to mine just like how Gray and Natsu do when they are fighting.

"Last time you snatched the win under my nose but not this time Anora!" Erza said with a challenge in her voice.

"We shall see!" I glared at her with determined eyes. A deathly aura surrounding both of us.

Lucy whimpered. "Do the two of you turn everything in a contest?" She asked us with a low voice.

The both of us turned our gaze towards her hastily. "Yes!" We announced in unison making the girl whimper under our intense glares. I looked towards my true opponent for the day with a playful smirk.

"How about we make things interesting again? Just like last time?" Her interest was piqued.

"As far as I remember last time it was I who dined upon the strawberry cake." Erza crossed her arms mockingly.

"Tch." I grumbled. "Are you backing down?" I taunted her.

"Oh you're on!" She accepted. Just then Max announced it was Erza's time to go on stage.

"Hmm." She hummed as she realized that Max had called for her. "That's my queue!" She announced and front flipped to the stage near our host and the crowd almost took the building down with cheers.

"Wow… she is really popular." Lucy commented disheartened. I put an arm on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, just try to enjoy yourself. It's a party after all." I told her.

"Easy for you to say. I really need that rent money." She pouted. We looked at the stage again and saw that Erza had already taken off and Max was announcing the next competitor.

"Let's move on to entry number seven!" The host announced. "Here we have everyone's favourite, Fairy Tail's little Dragon of magic and beauty, Anora!" He pointed next to him with a hand.

"Guess it's my turn…" I said to Lucy. Then I blinked right next to Max, appearing in a violet light and everyone cheered at me. I waved at them confidently. It was not my first participation and I had even won last year. Let's see how I do this time.

"Now! Blow us away!" Max encouraged.

I closed my eyes, focusing on my magic as I swiftly expanded my hands towards the sides, opening my eyes in the process and allowing my power to flow freely. It came out as a bright light of blue, white and purple behind my back as it illuminated the whole stage with it's dazzling light. Everyone was astounded. I smirked devilishly. I think I beat Erza on this one.

I continued to the other side of the stage where everyone who had passed went. When I went behind the curtains I was shocked to see the others were turned to stone. I panicked as someone grabbed my shoulder and on instinct I turned around. I was met with sharp brown eyes that glimmered in an yellow light. I realized a little too late what had happened.

"Evergre…" Was all I said before I was turned to stone, or at least that's what I assumed had happened.

I was now in a different world. Everything was dark and I was flowing in nothingness. A huge stone wall in front of me. I could hear voices and screams from all around me. After a few minutes only the Master, Natsu and Happy's voices could be heard. They were arguing and bickering about something but I was more concentrated on the concrete wall before me. I was able to hear the rules of the 'game' that Laxus was palnning though.

I was such a fool. I was too tangled up in the competition and forgot that we are entering another crucial part of the timeline and I'd be damned if I was gonna be a statue and look pretty throughout the whole ordeal. I lighted my fist in a violet light as I crossed them, forming hundreds of arrows behind me.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Spectacle."** I expanded my hands to the sides, sending the purplish, see-through projectiles flying towards the huge wall. After the purple smoke had cleared from the wall, I saw that the thing didn't even have a scratch on it.

"Awww man…" I mumbled as I took a stance again. I ain't giving up that easily. I put my hands together and pointed them towards the wall.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Grand Impact."** I yelled as an azure magical circle appeared before it and then suddenly exploded. Same result. Throughout my attempts I had heard Laxus speaking to Natsu and Gramps, telling them that Makarov needs to give him the title of Master or he would shatter the statues. I was not a fan of that idea so I tried my best to bring the damn wall down.

I inhaled sharply.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Magical Outburst."** I yelled as I put my hands together once more. A beam of solid light, blue and violet, shot like a laser towards the concrete wall. I was doing nothing so I tensed and used more magic, the beam growing stronger. I stopped after a minute because it was becoming too tiring and there was no arcania around to power me up.

"Dang it…" I huffed as I held my knees for support. When I looked up at the god damn thing, my eyes widened. The wall was untouched. It even shined, as if to mock me. I gritted my sharp teeth as I took a determined stance. I could hear Gajeel and Natsu bickering on the other side of the wall. I was not going to be held up in here!

"It's not a good choice to keep a dragon a prisoner." I huffed as I slammed the palms of my hand together, my arms pointing towards the wall.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast"** Putting every ounce of the magic I had left in me, the lights grew bigger and they shot towards the wall. Midway to their target, I shouted weakly, feeling completely exhausted.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle."** A magical circle appeared before the huge dancing lights. They got through it and became even bigger. My twin blast was a very special ability because not only did it consist of two different blast but the caster could calibrate how strong to make the ability by simply adding more magical energy to it. I used almost all of my reserve for this one and now it was four times stronger. I smirked as I was left floating in the darkness, having strength to only see the result of my actions.

The projectile connected with the wall and let out a ginormous explosion. Violet and blue particles were flying around like ashes after a fire and when It cleared out I saw a huge crack in the wall. It cracked even more and more but it was not crumbling. Dang it!

The crack was coming from the center of the construction and even though I was weak, the wall looked like it would need a gentle push and it would fall. I picked myself up as I floated towards it. I formed a purplish blade in my right hand and then slammed it into the wall's weak point. The crack widened as I rotated the blade. I pulled it out and slammed it again inside. The cracks went more and more towards the end of the wall.

I pulled it out again. "Third time's… the charm…" I huffed. I slammed the sword in the weak point once more with everything I had. I was either going to destroy this thing or collapse trying. Thank god it was the former. As the blade connected with the wall's weak point, the cracks suddenly spread throughout the whole thing and it crumbled to the ground.

 _"Huh... I'm suddenly feeling a bit of deja vu."_ I memory of how Inoreth made me break that enchanted piece of rock emerged from the depths of my mind.

In an instant the darkness that I was floating in evaporated and I found myself on the ground in Fairy Tail's guild hall. I heard sudden gasps as I looked up weakly. I saw Gajeel, Natsu, Happy and Master rushing towards me.

"Anora!" Natsu yelled as they approached me.

"Thank goodness." Makarov said to no one in particular. But how was the spell broken?" He asked himself as he came closer.

"I… kinda… broke it…" I huffed, answering Master's question.

I tried to stand up but I was too exhausted to do it on my own and Natsu gave me a hand.

"Woah. You look beat. Ya sure ya feelin' ok?" He asked me as he put my arm around his shoulder and then helped me get on my feet.

"Yeah… I'm fine, I just used too much of my power and I'm feeling like I could sleep for a month." I said weakly but I quickly noticed the abundance of arcania just floating in the air. I inhaled deeply. "No worries though, I can feel arcania all around me so it shouldn't be long before I'm good as new."

I let go of Natsu, already feeling the power coming back to me and my exhaustion disappearing.

Happy flew to me. "Anora, do you know what's going on?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I was a statue but somehow I could hear most of what was going on." I answered. "So… how many of us are still left?"

"It's just us…" Master answered, looking grim. "But as far as we have seen no statue or a person over the age of eighty can pass the enchantment placed around the guild hall. It would also seem that it's keeping all the Dragon Slayers inside as well, for some unknown reason… Which means that we lost…" Master said grimly, looking down.

I looked at him skeptically.

"Who are you and what have you done to gramps?" He looked at me with confusion. "I thought we never give up and here you are saying it's over before we have even tried for me to exit." I walked towards the exit and the others followed after me.

Makarov huffed behind me. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."

"It's no use Anora, we can't get out." Natsu said, crossing his hands.

"Yeah, listen to Flame brain here, ya ain't passin'." Gajeel huffed beside me.

Gajeel and Natsu started bickering over the name calling until gramps put a stop to it. I huffed in annoyance as I reached the doors and extended a hand to touch, to see if there was an invisible barrier.

"Here goes nothing." I said to no one in particular and everyone watch with anticipation. I quickly shoved my hand through the door and to everyone's surprise it passed through the enchantment. Everyone's mouths was agape.

"But… how…" Master Makarov asked, stunned.

I adopted a devilish smile as I looked at Gajeel and Natsu. I started to laugh frantically, holding my tummy with one hand and pointing at them with another.

"Hey what are you laughing about?" Natsu asked in annoyance.

"Oh, nothing." I wiped a tear as I regain my composure. "I just thought that since it's not a Dragon Slayer thing, that means that you and Gajeel are over eighty years old." I started laughing again as they mouths dropped practically to the ground.

Master just stared at them and then at me. "So you are really over eighty years old?!" He asked in a "in the middle of questioning reality" voice.

"Do I look like eighty to you!?" The boys yelled in unison.

"Grampa Natsu and grampa Gajeel... Sounds legit." I snickered. They groaned in annoyance.

Suddenly, the writings in the air changed, taking our attention. The number of the contestants had firstly changed from two to three when I broke Evergreen's spell and now it updated from three to four.

Master huffed in confusion.

"It went up." Gajeel pointed out with crossed hands.

"Who could it be?" Natsu asked as he turned to look at the statues.

"The girls are still stone, so it can't be them." Makarov commented.

Suddenly it clicked and I grew a huge grin. "Aren't we forgetting someone?" I said, taking their attention.

"Yei high." I said, pointing the height with my hand. "Not much of talker, doesn't visit often and on the occasion that he does, he has the nasty habit of knocking us out first…" I commented.

"Hold on! You don't mean him?" Natsu asked and Happy gasped.

"And he is back just when we need him the most." Gramps commented excitedly, the fire in his eyes returning.

"Mhm…" I nodded and hummed confidently, crossing my hands.

"Someone wanna fill me in on here?" Gajeel asked.

We gave a quick explanation to Gajeel on who Mystogan was. After that they wished me good luck and I was off to the town square, looking frantically for someone from the Thunder Legion.

I was running through the town, when suddenly a civilian called out to me.

"Hey there, Anora!" He said.

"We saw a bunch of guys from your guild, fighting earlier." Another man besides the one that called out to me spoke calmly. "Think you can ask them to stop wrecking the town?" The person pleaded.

I wondered how to answer for a second.

"I'm sorry if they've been causing you trouble, they are just preparing for the festival." I smiled.

"I don't see what that has to do with fighting." The first man commented with hands on his hips.

"Don't worry! I promise it's going to be spectacular!" I grinned.

The man smiled and held a thumbs up. "I'll take your word for it." The man next to him smiled as well. "Try to clean up after yourselves ok?" He said with crossed arms.

With that I nodded and continued my search. Suddenly I heard cracking in the distance, not far away from me and when I turned my head towards the direction the sound was coming from, I saw a dozen yellow needles, flying towards me. On instinct I blinked backwards to evade the sudden attack. After that, I looked up at the building where the attack came from, seeing none other than Evergreen herself. She grinned devilishly.

"My, my. Now that's odd…" She commented. "I seem to recall turning you into a statue. Well, no matter, this gives me an excuse to torment you further." She said mockingly.

I smirked confidently. "Thanks for coming, now I don't need to search for you to smack you!"

She smirked. "Your quite the irksome one. They call you Anora, the daughter of magic?" She said as she spread a green fan in front of her face revealing only her eyes that screamed 'murder'. "What a farse! Everyone knows that the queen of fairies is born through magic! I'm the real daughter of magic here!" She proclaimed enviously.

She sent a yellow blast made out of energy towards me but I dashed to the side and then lept towards her.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** I held the twin purplish swords close to me as I charged and right when I was about to slash at her, she took up in the air with her wings.

"Come back here!" I yelled as I chased her, going on the rooftops.

"Catch me if you can! **Leprechaun!** " She yelle, throwing more yellow needles my way as I was chasing after her. At the attack I quickly stopped in my tracks and extended my hands to the side.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Shelter."** The purplish substance of solid ethernanos appeared in front of me, blocking all the needles. She didn't stop the onslaught though as more and more were coming and the shield started to crack. She smirked.

"You won't be able to hold on for much longer! Face it, I'm much more stronger than you." She taunted as she threw even more needles at me and the shield broke. I smirked.

 _'Time to see my new move in action.'_ I thought.

As the shield broke around me, I moved my hands behind my back, as the smaller pieces of the shattered shield were flying around me.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Retribution!"** I yelled and threw my hands at Evergreen's direction. All the shards of the broken shield suddenly started flying towards her. They collided with the remaining yellow needles that were flying my way and all the projectiles dissipated from the impact with one another.

"You're quite adept at handle my thorns, aren't you?" She said as she flew higher in the air "But don't get cocky, I'm just getting started." She suddenly adopted a devilish smirk. "I wonder… can you handle twice as many?" Before she could even finish, hundreds of needles flew at me, I was barely able to react.

I hugged myself as I screamed.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Guardian Wing."** I summoned my highest defence ability. As I did so, two purplish draconic wings engulfed my form, protecting me from all the projectiles that were coming my way. Swiftly I expanded my hands to the side, making the wings around me open, creating a gust of wind, strong enough to send Evergreen's own projectiles at her.

Her eyes widened as she realized what I had done and barely dodged, but that gave me an opening I did not hesitate to take.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast."** I slammed my hands together, sending the twin dancing lights at her. Her eyes widened in shock as the projectile neared her and hit her. She fell from the air on one of the rooftops. Her back was pressed to a wall and she couldn't even stand. I jumped to the rooftop she had landed on and approached her slowly. She looked at my approaching form and quickly tried to remove her glasses.

I swiped my hand at her direction. **"Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains!"** I yelled and the purplish chains took a hold of her and pinned her to the wall. I made sure she could not remove those damn glasses.

I continued my advance to her. It was obvious she was panicking, sweat was falling from her forehead and I could hear her ragged breathing. If I concentrated enough and listened closer, I could even hear her fast heartbeat. I stopped before I reached her and smiled.

"Look, your still a member of Fairy Tail, so if you just turn the girls back to normal, I won't harm you." I suggested the easy way.

She was still panicking, I could hear it, but she adopted a tough act. "Huh…" She huffed. "You are a bit naive, aren't you?" She looked me right in the eyes with a deathly glare and I narrowed mine. "My stone eyes grant me another ability as well…" I started walking towards her again. "…Remote control." She said confidently. I stopped on the spot. Her heart sped up as she started barking orders.

"Drop to your knees and bow before me!" She demanded. "If you refuse then I'll use my power to topple your precious little statues and shatter them." She said with a maniacal laugh.

 _'_ _Well that was the easy way, going out the window…'_ I thought to myself.

I didn't even flinch to which she started to sweat even more. Suddenly I crossed my arms in an 'X' formation in front of me, closing my eyes. I could feel the hundreds of arrows forming behind my back as they awaited my command. I opened my eyes with a deadly glare, staring right in her eyes, in her soul.

 _'_ _Time to use some tricks Erza taught me.'_ I showed my sharp canines with a devilish smirk.

"I'm kinda impressed with you right now. Ya know, not many people so openly try to anger me when I'm holding them hostage." I grew a maniacal smirk. "But I can't say if you are brave or foolish to try and enrage a dragon who has his teeth to your neck." I spat. "If you are to shatter my friends, then I would have no other choice but to torture you until you start begging me for a swift end." My eyes were piercings her soul right about now. It took every piece of will power not to laugh at her dumbfounded expression as her mouth was hanging agape.

I started slowly expanding my arms, the arrows growing closer and closer to her and she started screaming with all her might. I myself was getting closer to her in a slow-paced walk. Suddenly I let go of the spell and punched her slightly in the face.

"If you are going to bluff then do it right and most of all don't do it to a Dragon Slayer… that ain't gonna work." I grinned a toothy grin.

"Alright…" She said, muffled under my fist. "…You win." I let go of her face and then turned my back on her, crossing my hands. I felt that the ethernanos around her stopped charging. She wasn't using the spell anymore, which ment that the other girls were safe now. I huffed.

"So… Where can I find Laxus?" I asked her with my back still turned to her as I scanned the perimeter, awaiting her answer.

"He…" She hesitated. "He is in the blue building up in the town square…" She lowered her head as I turned to face her. I narrowed my eyes at her. I didn't want to concentrate this hard just to see if she was lying so I took her word for it and headed towards the town square.

As I jumped back on the road from the rooftop I met a certain red headed girl who was also running towards the town square.

"Erza!" I yelled and the girl in question stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Anora!" She greeted.

"Do you know where the other members of the Thunder Legion are? We saw that you defeated Evergreen. Nicely done!" She patted me on the shoulder.

"Yeah, Ever told me that Laxus was in this blue building in the town square." I said, starting to run towards it as I beckoned Erza to follow. "Come on!" She started running besides me. While running, I notice yellow orbs with small lightings in them in the sky above the city. I stopped on the spot.

"Erza what are those?" I asked as I pointed towards one of the hundreds of yellow orbs in the sky.

"I do not know…" She said with a thinking face. "It must be one of Laxus' tricks. We better be careful." She suggested.

"I second that!" I agreed.

We arrived at the city center and we looked around. My eyes found a blue house which didn't look like a place someone could hide in.

"There it is!" I pointed out.

"Come on!" Erza said, taking the lead. She went to the house a burst through the door like she usually does. "I have you now!" She said as she entered violently, but then, suddenly, she froze. I couldn't see anything form behind her so I approached her to see what had her so riled up. I froze at the scene as well. We were in the men's bath house…

"Can I help you?" A person asked startled.

"Please don't look, ok?" Another said.

"This bath's only for men ya know…"

"it's fine if you want to stay…" A creep announced.

Erza started looking around frantically. "Laxus! Where are you?!" She demanded. "You can't… Uh…" She stuttered as she looked around even more.

I grabbed Erza as she was incapable of moving at the moment and dragged her out of there as fast as I could. When we got out of the building I feel on my knees like Erza.

"She… She… played me for a fool." I commented and I could swear I could hear Evergreen's laughter in the distance. We recovered our composure after a few seconds.

"Come on… let's keep searching…"

"I agree." We started walking around town, searching for any sign of Laxus or his bodyguards. That's when, suddenly, runes appeared before us and announced that Bickslow was defeated by Lucy. Now only Freed and Laxus were left.

"Oh yeah! Nice one Lucy!" I fist pumped the air.

Erza smirked. "I'm impressed. She has grown quite strong." Erza commented with crossed hands and a huge smirk. We continued our search.

Suddenly I felt immense power all around me. The air burned with arcania. It looked like, Erza noticed as well.

"This feeling…" I commented. It felt like Mira's power. From the anime I knew that she was going to use it again eventually even though she had stopped after the supposed death of Lisanna, but it still surprised me to sense it after all the time she spent not using it.

"It can't be…" Erza said.

In an instant, a huge purple explosion was unleashed above the city. Me and Erza looked up to see what all the commotion was about. I saw that the target of that immense attack was Freed. Not long after that, I saw a womanly figure with dark wings, flying towards Freed with astounding speed. They quickly got away from Magnolia. I presume that they went somewhere where they could continue their fight in peace.

"She… used her Satan soul?" Erza asked, clearly shocked.

"Alright!" I said excitedly. "If she's on Freed's heels then that means that he is as good as defeated, which means that if we are able to take Laxus down, everything will be back to normal again!" I speculated.

Erza nodded with a smirk. "Hm." She hummed in confirmation. We started walking around, looking for any sign of where Laxus might be hiding. Suddenly another set of purple runes appeared before us.

"Mirajane versus Freed. Both wizards forfeit…" Erza read aloud.

"Oh yeah! Now there is only Laxus standing in our way!" I commented.

"True… But we have to find him first." As if on queue, an explosion sounded, coming from the nearby church.

I smirked. "I guess we found our mark." I started running towards the direction of the holy building.

Erza followed after. "Cardiac Cathedral…" She hummed.

The showdown was nearing. We ran towards Cardiac Cathedral. I knew that Laxus was going to be a difficult opponent…

 ** _Reply to a_** ** _Guest_** ** _: Sorry buddy, but Draco ain't coming back. He's dead! Ain't no way to bring him back…_**

 **A/N: Setting the scene for the main event of an arc always irks me to write more...**

 **If you are wondering how Anora got past the enchantment, it's because I'm going with the fact that she is 18 years old and not 400+. I'm not including the dragon inside of her because I think that as of right now he is a part of her and she is the one that must abide by the rules, so I'm sticking with the age rule. Also I heard you liked teasing… and what better way to do that then laugh at poor grampa Natsu and grampa Gajeel ?**

 **Leave a review and tell me your opinion about the chapter. It helps me out cus I get to see what you guys like and whatnot.**

 **Anyways, see ya all in the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18: Roaring Thunder

**A/N: *Opens FF and looks at story stats* HOLY MOLY! Guys, we just just reached the 100 review and 100 fav mark and we are soon to reach 100 000 words ^^. I'm so excited. I love you guys! You are the best! Thank you all for sticking through with this little story of mine. I hope that you enjoyed the adventure so far and that you will continue to enjoy it as time passes.**

 **Some guest reviews from last chapter will be answered at the bottom 'A/N'**

 **Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter Eighteen

Roaring Thunder

As we were getting closer to the building, more explosions were heard, coming from that direction. There was a serious battle going on in that place.

Me and Erza got to the building and entered it, seeing Mystogan and Laxus ducking it out.

"So here you are." I, Erza and Natsu said in unison, taking their attention.

Me and Erza looked at Natsu, who had just arrived and he looked at us.

"Erza, Anora!" He greeted, clearly not expecting us here.

"Hey, you made it out of there." Erza commented.

"Glad you're here!" I stated.

We all looked at the hooded figure in front of us, no one of us had seen before.

"Who the heck is that guy?" Natsu questioned, pointing at the man in question.

"That's Mystogan!" Erza explained.

"So that's how he looks…" I eyed him funny, not remembering him very well from the anime. I just remember that he was quit important somehow… He had something to do with the other world, Edolas was it?

For a moment he looked at us with shock, but then he turned to face Laxus once again. Suddenly Laxus lifted his fist and lighting formed around it.

"You're wide open!" He stated with a huge grin, throwing the lighting at Mystogan's face. His mask and hood were destroyed on impact, revealing a face all too familiar. Erza gasped next to me.

"Uh… Jellal?" Erza asked in disbelief.

I clenched my fist and gritted my sharp teeth in anger. His face was making me act as if he was the color red and I was a bull. I seethed with rage.

"What the!?" Natsu, asked, confused as well.

Erza looked at me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Anora…"

"I'm fine…" I grumbled venomously, making Erza flinch for a second. I was not fine… Seeing him was making me want to murder him, but I knew better… That was not the one who had stolen my brother away from me. That was his counter part from the other world. Now that I saw his face, I remembered some more about Edolas and how we all had doppelgangers in there. I would have probably wondered if I had one too, but my mind was a foggy mess at the moment.

He turned his back on us so that we can't look at his face. Erza started to tremble near me.

"Jellal… b-but how?" She asked slowly. "Y-You're still alive?"

Laxus was watching with an amused smirk. "Oh… so you know this guy?"

"Wait… I don't get it." Natsu stated flatly. "So Mystogan… is really Jellal?" He asked the one million jewel question.

"Jellal… I…" Erza started but I cut her of. "That's not him." I said in a hushed tone. Everyone looked at me curiously.

"That is true." The target of our discussion answered, taking everyone's attention as he looked directly at the red-headed warrior. "Erza… Please, forgive me. I was afraid you'd see this. Anora is right, I'm not your friend Jellal. I do know of him but… I'm not him." Erza's eyes were staring wide at the man. He then turned to me. "And that begs the question… how did you find out?" He asked calmly. Everyone looked at me again.

I gritted my teeth and crossed my arms, turning my head so that I won't look at him. I knew that was not a person I should be hating because he had done nothing wrong to me, but… with that face on him I was suppressing a huge urge just to not lunge at him. "Call it a hunch…" I said with an irritated voice.

From my peripheral vision, I could see him narrowing his eyes at my statement, but then he just turned his back on us once again.

"I'm sorry… I must be going…" He said and swiftly disappeared in a puff of mist.

"Hey, wait up!" Natsu tried to reach for him a little bit too late. "Well that made my brain hurt…" He shook his head. "I can't think about it right now!" He said mostly to himself and then he looked at Laxus. "Alright! It's you against me!" He then turned to address us. "That cool with you?" He asked.

We both looked at Erza who was still shocked from the experience. I took the time to clear my mind of the irrational rage that had overcome me and I was thinking straight again, thankfully.

"Hey… Earthland to Erza, do you copy?" I said, waving a hand in front of her. "Wake up!" Natsu yelled. Suddenly we were interrupted as bolt of lighting struck Erza. Natsu and I jumped back a bit. Erza screamed as Laxus continuing to torture her.

"That's quite the face you're making there, girlie. Uuuugliy!" He said as he charged a bigger portion of his power and sent her flying across the room that we were in.

"That's enough!" Natsu suddenly yelled, pointing a finger at Laxus. "I told you, you are mine, you jerk! Let's go!"

"Hey…" Laxus said smugly. "Didn't even notice ya." He stated and Natsu stared at him dumbfounded. I stepped forward, taking their attention.

"Oh… You're going to notice us in a bit." I glared at the man.

"Anora!" Natsu suddenly yelled in my ear, which hurt a lot. "I told you! He is mine! Stay out of this." He crossed his hands and turned his head to look away from me with a pout.

I glared at him, my eyes screaming 'I will murder you if you don't include me'. He got the memo as he shrunk. "Are you denying me the thrill of battle, Dragneel?" I asked him, intentionally using his family name so that I could sound more menacing, a menacing aura surrounding me.

"No ma'am." He answered and Laxus laughed.

"What a joke, letting her boss you around like that. And here I thought you were different from those weaklings." He pointed at Natsu and the pink-haired boy in question clenched his fist.

Now I glared at the laughing man in front of me and I smirked.

"Come on Natsu, let's show him that we are a team that should not be messed with." I said, forming a violet and blue light in my hands. Natsu set his aflame.

"Aye!" He said viciously with a huge grin.

Laxus looked interested. I believe he thought it was time to get serious because he removed his coat and his headphones. That was a bad sign. He never left them before…

Suddenly Natsu lunged at him. "I'll burn you to a crisp!" He yelled as he tried to punch him but Laxus evaded with ease. That didn't stop the crazy pyromaniac though. He kept lunging towards him.

"Did no one ever tell ya to think before you act kid?" Laxus asked. "Now get lost, you runt!" He spat as he defended with his lighting. Even with that, Natsu wasn't giving up and I was just waiting for an opening to get into the action.

 **"** **Fire Dragon's Talon!"** The Fire Dragon Slayer yelled as he swung at Laxus with a flaming leg. Laxus parried with his hand and with a grin, threw Natsu across the room. He landed on his feet a few meters away. That was my queue.

I lunged at Laxus without giving him any pause.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon's Claw"** I yelled as my hands turned into ethereal, purplish dragon claws with which I struck at Laxus. He evaded, not wanting to get hit by the sharp talons. Suddenly, he smiled as he caught my hand. My eyes widened. I saw his hand over my head with lighting forming around it. He hit me square in the face, sending me flying across the room.

"Anora… be careful!" Erza said, finally getting up from the attack that she took.

I stood up and brushed aside the locks of hair that were getting in the way of my vision. "I'm fine…" I huffed.

Right now Natsu and Laxus were engaged in a fierce battle of punches as they held onto each other with one hand and punched with the other. It was a fierce game of chicken to see who would let go first. Neither looked ready to let go though, they were even enjoying it.

Suddenly, Natsu tried to swipe at his opponent's legs to get him to the ground, but Laxus jumped into the air, evading and then slammed Natsu into the ground with his leg. Then he lifted him and punched him across the room.

I swiped my arm at him, while he was distracted.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains"** I yelled as the purplish chains started to lung at him from the ground. His full attention was now on them as he evaded every single one. Without us both noticing, Erza had joined the fray and now she was trying to strike at him with her 'Black Wing Armor'.

She jumped back, standing next to me as we looked at Laxus, who was standing not far away from us.

"Alright, Laxus! What have you put in the sky? Tell me! Now!" She demanded.

"Why, you haven't heard? That would be my 'Thunder Palace'." He said with a maniacal grin.

"Are you crazy!? You are going to destroy the whole of Magnolia!?" I looked in shock at him. His grin growing wider. He let out a maniacal laugh.

"Honestly… it breaks my heart." He said sarcastically. "But that's just the way the game is played doll face!" He said.

"Why, you!" Erza tried to kick him, but he grabbed a hold of her leg with one hand and with the other he stopped my fist that was flying towards his face.

"Natsu, you gotta destroy them and fast!" I yelled at him as he was standing up from the ground.

"I can't, ok? If I attack those things, I know that they are just gonna zap me right back!" He yelled at us.

I gasped. "Body link magic…"

"Seriously?!" Erza asked the man that was holding her leg in the air.

"Yeah! And they are gonna stay up there until I give the order to blow!" He said, looking like a crazy person… that he was.

"You coward!" Erza yelled.

Suddenly he zapped us both with a bolt of lighting. "It's a shame you won't be around to see it." He threw us both across the room. I screamed as I was flying but I was caught by Natsu.

"Gotcha!" He stated with a smile as he put me down.

"Thanks." I said, kneeling to take a breath. Erza had changed into her 'Lighting Empress Armor' and now stood against Laxus alone.

"Huh… Lighting Empress Armor. Nice try but it's not gonna protect you from my attacks!" He shot more lighting her way but she jumped in the air, evading it. She spun the huge spear that was now in her hands, above her head and yelled.

"Now that we are using the same magic…" She pointed the spear at him, shooting out blue lighting. "It's a fair fight." She said as she landed on the ground.

Laxus turned into a bolt of lighting himself and escaped from the blast. He reappeared up in the air.

"Let's see if your armor can handle this!" He shot a powerful bolt at her and she blocked it with ease.

"Still standing, huh?" He asked.

She explained that when two wizards battle with the same magic, it's not just a matter of raw power but that of experience and heart.

I was feeling much better now and I stood up next to Natsu. I was feeling the arcania in the air and my power was increasing, it was time for the showdown.

Suddenly Nastu protested. "Erza!" He said clenching his fist in front of his face. "Would you just leave it alone already? I told you that I was gonna be the one to fight him!" He yelled at her. I gave him a stern look. "And… Anora is gonna help me!" He added. She turned to look at us and smiled.

"Then I'll have to put my faith into you." She said as she ran towards the exit of the cathedral.

"Hey, where are ya going?" I asked as she ran past me.

"Hold on…" Natsu said and Erza stopped. "You are not gonna try to bring that thing down?" He asked her, concerned. She lowered her head and Laxus just laughed.

"I'd like to see you try, attacking even one of those lacrimy could be deadly." He pointed out with his hands on his hips. "And who knows how many of em' are flying above town right about now." He said with a smug smile. "Besides, you are out of time!" He yelled.

"I'll just destroy them all at once!" Erza countered, determination in her voice.

"Is that so? You must have some major death wish then." He threatened with a low voice and a maniacal grin. She looked over her shoulder at him with a content smile.

"No… but if that's what it takes…" She said stubbornly as she started running out of the cathedral.

Laxus' eyes widened.

"I'm leaving him in your hands, so don't let me down!" She commanded to the both of us.

"Come back!" Laxus spat angrily. "You're breaking the rules Erza!"

"You better come back alive Erza or I'm going to murder you!" I yelled after her.

"I'm putting my faith into you to! Ya hear?" Natsu yelled after her as well. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, gave us a silent nod and continued on her path.

"No…" Laxus said desperately as he started running after her but me and Natsu blocked his way.

 **"** **Fire Dragon Roar!"** The Fire Dragon Slayer bellowed, engulfing Laxus in flames as he approached.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle!"** I supported his spell with my own, the flames growing in power and intensity as they passed through the magical circle.

Me and Natsu stood side by side.

"Alright jerk, prepare yourself for a beat down!" Natsu said, clenching his fists to the side.

"You are gonna regret underestimating us, Laxus!" I told him as I took a battle stance myself.

He looked at us, enraged. "You mouthy, little brats!" He spat venomously.

 **"** **Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"** Natsu yelled as he threw a huge fireball at Laxus. I jumped backwards from the intense heat. Laxus countered with a lighting bolt that shattered the fireball and pushed Natsu backwards towards me. I jumped over him with a front flip and slammed my hands mid air towards Laxus.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast!"** The dancing lights shot towards him. He jumped back evading it but I extended my right hand towards the projectile.

 **"** **Swift Strike."** I commanded and the 'Twin Blast' disappeared in a puff of white light. Laxus was shocked for a bit but right as the projectile had reappeared behind him he turned into a lighting bolt and lunged towards me, tackling me to the ground and then retreating a few meters away. I stood up as Natsu came near me.

"Don't you see what's happened to our guild, you two?"

"What!?" We asked in unison.

"Thanks to the old geezer, Fairy Tails is nothing but a joke now!" He spat angrily as he formed a lighting ball between his two hands. Lighting all around us started to strike and we dodged as we listened to his rambling.

"All I'm trying to do is make things right!" He yelled as lighting struck everywhere.

"Yeah? Well you are failing miserably then!" I yelled sarcastically and he gave me a death glare.

"When I become Master, our name will strike fear into people's hearts!" He said with a face, that suited a demon more. A lighting strike was headed right for Natsu. By the looks of it he was not going to dodge in time so I acted on instinct and pushed him away.

"Watch out!" I yelled as I tackled him, but in the process the lighting hit me, sending me flying. I hit a nearby pillar and my limp body fell on the ground.

"Anora!" Natsu yelled with concern looking at me and then he looked with rage toward Laxus.

 _'_ _Ouch… That's gonna leave a mark.'_ I thought to myself as I felt the electricity still running through me, paralyzing my muscles. Laxus laughed maniacally.

"You bastard!" Natsu lunged at him with a flaming fist but Laxus caught him and threw him on the ground on the other end of the room. The lighting mage then turned to me and approached me as I was still lying on the ground, unable to move. Suddenly he stopped and looked at some purple runes in the air.

He scoffed. "There is only one minute, thirty seconds before the Thunder Palace is activated…" He said to no one in particular. "What are you waiting for, old man? Are you really gonna stand there and watch all the people die?" He questioned.

I used my hands beneath me as I was lying on my stomach to lift my head up to see what was happening. Natsu let out a light laugh, taking the lighting mage's attention.

The pink-haired boy stood up from his fall. "I wouldn't worry about him if I were you. It's over! You know as well as I do that that ain't gonna happen." Laxus seemed shocked.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Natsu grinned as toothy grin. "You can blow up the town, but ya still ain't getting Fairy Tail. You're just upset you can't back out of it now!" Laxus looked maddened and Natsu lighted his fist on fire and with a huge smirk exclaimed. "The town will be fine. Erza is taking your spell down!" He lunged at the blonde mage.

"It's not easy sticking to your guts, is it Laxus?" Natsu was running right at him. The electricity in my body had disappeared and now I was standing up, ready to give Natsu some support. Laxus started brimming with lighting, all around him.

"SHUT UP! What the hell do you know?" He lifted his hand, forming lighting everywhere around him, mostly gathering in his hand, ready to strike at Nastu.

I started running and then blinked right next to Natsu. We were now both running towards Laxus and he was running towards us.

"Yeah! I'm all fire up now!" Natsu proclaimed as we all clashed.

We were throwing punches left and right but Laxus was on a whole different level than us. He dodged and blocked with ease. Suddenly he landed a punch on Natsu, sending him flying once more but the pink-haired boy was able to land on his feet. Then he grabbed my leg and threw me to the ground but I was able to make a back flip and I stood again, facing him.

Suddenly our battle was interrupted as we heard the voices of our guild mates inside our minds.

"What the?" Natsu asked.

"It's Warren!" I said.

The three of us listened in, halting our battle for now. We heard Warren explain to everyone what the situation with the 'Thunder Palace' was and how everyone needed to join in to stop the huge spell. At fist there was bickering among the guild members and Gray tried to stop them but they just continued until Lucy gave a brilliant speech about how we all needed to save Magnolia. Mere seconds after that the purple runes that were in the air, counting down towards the beginning of the 'Thunder Palace' spell disappeared. Laxus looked rightfully pissed.

"That's how we do it!" I said with a smug grin as Laxus looked at us.

"Ya see, told ya it wouldn't work!" Natsu added with a devilish grin of his own. Laxus growled and then he looked down at the ground, his hair, casting a strong shadow over his eyes.

We heard our friends again as they regain consciousness after they were hit with the body link magic.

"Weren't you blabbering about how Fairy Tail needed to change just a while ago?" I asked him.

"Funny… I don't see anything that needs changing. Everyone seems to be getting along just fine." Natsu backed me up, crossing his arms. "How do you expect to become our master if you don't get along with the rest of us?"

Suddenly Laxus let out a low growl and then the area around him exploded in lighting, gusts of wind starting to push us away from him, the ground cracking beneath his immense power.

"I'll take Fairy Tail by force if I have to! Just watch me! It's mine!" He exclaimed.

"It's time to give up Laxus, ya ain't taking Fairy Tail over!" I yelled as I was holding my right hand in front of my face for cover.

"Yeah! We ain't letting that happen!" Natsu added.

"Oh yeah? You two don't know who you are messing with." He threatened and I knew it wasn't a shallow threat either. Whatever he was doing right now it was pumping out arcania like a factory. That was not a good sign. "I'm a lot stronger than any of you have ever dreamed!" He boasted. "I can take the guild over by force any time I want." He yelled, the lighting and wind around him doubling in power and intensity. "And you're not strong enough to stop me! Your best bet is to just get out of my way!" He screamed.

"Let's test that theory." I yelled as I lunged towards him.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Natsu followed.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** I yelled and then gripped the two twin blades that formed in my hands. I swung at Laxus but he dodge with immense speed.

 **"** **Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** The Fire Dragon Slayer followed up but Laxus just allowed Natsu to hit him. He was unfazed though.

"Come on… That all you got?" He mocked as he grabbed me by the arm with huge force and then he used me as bat to smack Natsu. After that he threw me to the side, sending a lighting bolt at me which hit me, making me scream in agony on the ground. After that he lunged towards Natsu, who was still flying in the air and he punched him in the gut, taking away his air.

After that he used a flurry of punches and kicks until he finally kicked him really hard, sending him to the ground. And then, he threw a lighting bolt straight at him, hitting him and paralyzing him on the ground. I couldn't move as well. The electricity in my body was making my muscles inoperable and that was bugging the hell out of me. If we included the pain that I was feeling everywhere around my body I was just peachy. He walked slowly to Natsu who was still on the ground, same as me.

"Man… I don't get this, how is he so strong?" Natsu commented.

Laxus raised a fist over his head, summoning more of his power. "Can you feel the electric energy of the lighting I've summoned forth?" He asked.

"What the heck? I can't move a muscle…" Natsu said desperately.

Laxus ignored him and continued to summon more of his power, creating a huge orb of lighting above his head. "It will plummet from the heavens and turn you into ash! **Raging Bolt!"** He yelled as he pointed at Natsu's twitching body on the ground, with his right hand and the ginormous orb started flying towards him.

To my shock, I couldn't cast a defencive spell to protect him so in desperation I just cried his name.

"Natsu!"

After the explosion had subsided, Laxus started to laugh maniacally at the empty, cracked ground , where the pink-haired boy was standing moments ago…

"No…" I breathed out lowly, not comprehending what I was seeing…

Laxus turned towards me.

"It was so easy to turn him into dust, I can barely believe he survived for so long against me." He laughed again.

Suddenly, a deep voice was heard, taking both mine and Laxus' attention.

"That's no way to treat one of your comrades." Gajeel scolded, holding Natsu in one of his hands as he was holding on to a pillar with the other. "Only a nut job like you would be so giddy about taking down one of his friends." He looked at Natsu. "Thankfully, I got to him before you did! I want to be the one to take this kid out." He explained as Natsu came back to consciousness.

I huffed in relief as my muscles were starting to be movable again.

Gajeel jumped down to the ground and dropped Natsu, ready to face Laxus.

"I have another challenger?" Laxus laughed. "You'll all end up dead soon. Anybody who dares stand in my way will be eliminated!" He threatened.

"Let us take care of him, you stay out of this." Natsu said as he was supporting himself on the ground with his all fours.

I blinked next to them, holding my stomach with one of my hands to suppress the pain.

"Natsu, now is not the time to be stubborn! We need all the help we can get! This is not Laxus we know! As far as we know, this person, standing there is an enemy to Fairy Tail and he needs to go down!" I yelled at him.

Said pink haired boy stood up and looked at me.

"Look at him, is that the same guy from a few years back?" I asked him and the three of us looked towards Laxus.

He stood there, brimming with power. "What's the matter? Ya scared? You should be!" He said in a low voice, chuckling darkly. Natsu tensed at the seams.

"Far as I can tell, that's an enemy." Gajeel backed me up. "If we wanna save the guild we gotta stop him here and now. Everybody else has been knocked out by another member or zapped by the 'Thunder Palace'." The dark haired teen explained. "Don't you get it? We are the only ones who can stop him."

Natsu finally made a decision.

"Just so we are clear, this is gonna be the only time I ever team up with you." Natsu pointed out.

"Trust me, this ain't fun for me either, we'll fight it out someday." Gajeel told him.

I stepped in between them. "And now if you ladies have stopped arguing over stupid things like that, we have an enemy to defeat and a guild to save." Both boys nodded at my statement, taking their battle stances.

The amount of arcania was now skyrocketing and my powers were at their peak. I would not fall so easily this time!

"Let's do this!" We all yelled in unison.

The boys lunged towards Laxus while I jumped in the air. The two Dragon Slayers started throwing punches at Laxus and he just blocked them head on. I used my magic to try and bind the lightning mage.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains."** I yelled while still in the air and purplish chains flung towards Laxus' direction. He used his lighting to throw Natsu away, but he did a backflip in the air. Gajeel jumped back and told Natsu to use his breath attack. I landed on the ground. My attack had failed to capture our opponent as he simply dodged the chains while defending against the boys.

From behind Gajeel, Natsu took the dark-haired man's command.

 **"** **Fire Dragon Roar."** He yelled and a gust of fire shot out of his maw. Gajeel used this to his advantage to create a combo.

 **"** **Iron Dragon Claw."** He shot his hand, now turned into an iron rod directly towards Laxus. It was engulfed in Natsu's flames. I followed up on their little trick.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle."** I shot my hands to the side, creating an azure magical circle in front of the flaming, iron rod. As it passed through the circle the iron was covered with spikes and the flame around it grew in intensity and power. Laxus jumped into the air to evade the three man combo.

That gave Gajeel and opening as he lifted his leg over his head to strike at the lighting mage. His leg turned into a huge chainsaw-like blade as he yelled.

 **"** **Iron Dragon's Sword."**

Laxus put a palm on the sword as it came near him and used it to thrust himself even further up in the air and then he shot balls of pure electricity at Gajeel. I moved in to help.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Guardian Wing."** As I yelled the words two purplish, ethereal, draconic wings engulfed Gajeel's form, protecting him from the attack. They dissipated shortly after.

"Thanks." He thanked me and I just nodded in acknowledgement. Laxus looked irritated as he stared at us, not realizing the Fire Dragon Slayer that had jumped at him from the back.

 **"** **Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame."** Natsu yelled from behind Laxus, throwing a huge fireball at him. The attack hit it's mark and Laxus was sent flying towards the ground.

Gajeel and I nodded to each other as we looked towards our opponent.

The dark-haired slayer extended his hand, turning it into a metal lance.

 **"** **Iron Dragon Lance!"** He gave the command and then started stabbing at the air in front of him.

 **"** **Demon Logs!"** He added and the harmless stabs in the air started emitting, strong, green energy waves, which shot towards Laxus as he was still falling to the ground. As the multiple energy projectiles hit Laxus I joined in the fray as well.

I crossed my arms in an 'X' position in front of me.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Spectacle."** I yelled, expanding my hands to the sides and then targeting Laxus with them. The arrows that were created in the process shot towards the lighting mage as he was still taking the brunt force of Gajeel's attack. As he was being preoccupied, trying to defend himself from the many projectiles going his way, we took the opportunity to inflict even more damage.

Natsu, now standing on the ground, on the other side of the room bellowed.

 **"** **Fire Dragon…"**

Gajeel started as well from the other side of the room.

 **"** **Iron Dragon…"**

I followed their lead from my own corner of the room. We were each at the same distance away from Laxus.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon…"**

 **"** **ROAR!"** We all finished. Cones of violet-blue light, fire that could melt flesh in seconds and a gust of metal shrapnel all flied towards the lighting mage who was now kneeling on the ground, trying to take a breath. He took the brunt force of the triple attack. We stopped, all looking expectantly as the smoke was dissipating after the attack.

Before the smoke could be lifted a mocking voice was heard from the other side. We all tensed.

"Don't tell me that's the best the three of you can do…" The smoke was lifted, revealing a menacing looking Laxus with a smug grin.

"Neither one of you deserve the title 'Dragon Slayer'." He said as he stood up. Lighting sparkling from around his form.

"What the heck, he doesn't even have a scratch on em." Natsu commented.

"But how… I don't get it. I know he is strong and all but we whipped out a ton of Dragon Slaying Magic on em…" Gajeel said dumbfounded. "How is he still standing?" He asked, making Laxus' grin going wider.

"Unless… unless he is a Dragon Slayer too and his physique is though enough to handle the attacks." I commented, remembering that Laxus was indeed a Dragon Slayer. They all looked at me in shock. Laxus was the first one to recover.

"Well, well, well, aren't you sharp, girlie." He took the two other Dragon Slayers attention. "I haven't told anyone about this, cus I really hate the old man's lectures." He grinned devilishly, his teeth elongating to everyone's surprise. Now they looked just as sharp as mine and Natsu's. His muscles grew so much that his clothes were torn. Scales covered his hands and lighting started sparkling intensely around him.

Suddenly, he let out a scream in the air as his transformation was complete, lighting flying everywhere.

"You have to be kidding me." Natsu watched in slight horror.

"No way..." Gajeel added.

"We need to get out of the way. NOW!" I commanded as I looked at what Laxus was doing. He was inhaling sharply.

 **"** **Lighting Dragon…"** Our eyes widened but we didn't have time to react.

 **"** **Roar."**

The three of us were now standing next to each other. A huge mass of electricity in a cone shape, coming towards us. I felt so powerful from the arcania around me but I was still not sure if this was going to work. I've never done this before.

I took ahold of Gajeel and Natsu's shoulders with one hand for each. They both looked at me quizzically as the attack was coming towards us with immense speed.

 _'_ _Blink'_ I commanded in my mind and we were transported to the other end of the room, evading the attack. I felt like a mountain was over me so I quickly started collapsing. Transporting only myself was straining and even though as I've been practicing, I could do it more often in less time, it was still quite exhausting. With this much arcania in the air I could manage me and another person, but two passengers was just too much. I had even used up all the arcania in the air and I didn't even have anything to charge myself up, so I just fell to the ground, panting heavily.

"Anora!" Natsu caught me before I fell on the hard ground. He shook me, panicking.

"I'm… fine… just… tired." I said in as I sank in his arm, too tired to try and move.

"Damn girlie… Thanks for the save." Gajeel commented.

Laxus then interrupted our little moment.

"You're still alive? Damn I thought for sure that would finish you off." He spat. "Why won't you just kick the bucket already?"

Natsu and Gajeel glared at him but they dared not leave my side to engage him.

He started approaching us very slowly. We had some distance between us so that was a thing at least.

"You three losers, Erza and Mystogan…" He started saying, stopping in his tracks. "The old geezer, those weaklings in Fairy Tail and the pathetic people of Magnolia… YOUR TIME IS OVER NOW!" He screamed, lighting erupting from his form everywhere. Lights started coming out of the ground and I could feel arcania seeping into the air like a waterfall. The magic power in the air was immense to put it lightly. I took a deep breath, quickly recovering some of my fatigue.

"Where is all that magical energy coming from?" Gajeel asked.

My eyes widened. "He… he is casting 'Fairy Law'. The boys tensed at my words and they looked towards Laxus in shock.

Laxus chuckled darkly as he created a ball of light between his hands in front of his chest. "You're right girlie. I've mastered the 'Fairy Law' spell." He confirmed.

"That's the same spell that defeated Master Jose… No!" Gajeel with fear in his eyes.

"Laxus! What are you thinking?" Natsu asked dumbfounded.

"Laxus you need to stop this! You're going to destroy the whole town!" I tried to convince him to stop. I was not a fan of this time period in my old life so I don't remember what happens next. Fear was real here for I had no idea how to act or if everything would be ok...

The Lighting Dragon Slayer ignored us as he continued to cast the spell.

"Don't do this!" Natsu lunged at him to try and stop him but a wall of lighting threw him back at us. Gajeel caught him and helped him regain balance.

Suddenly a new voice was heard from the entrance of the cathedral.

"Laxus, stop!" The voice belonged to non-other than Levy. We all looked at her.

"Levy?" Natsu asked with wide eyes.

"You idiot! What are you doing here?" Gajeel scolded.

"Levy, you gotta get away from here, now!" I shouted at her, now standing on my own thanks to the arcania in the air. She ignored us and tried to convince Laxus to stop.

"You've gotta see the master, he doesn't have much time!" She pleaded. "Master Makarov… I mean, your grandfather… is close to death." She yelled.

We all looked with fear at her and Laxus halted the casting of the spell for a moment to look at her.

"Stop this now! Go see him one last time! Please, hurry before it's too late!" She pleaded. Laxus looked at her with shock on his features.

"No… it can't be… gramps is gonna die?" Natsu asked with disbelief, voicing the words that were swirling in my mind.

"PLEASE, LAXUS!" Levy screamed.

Instead of stopping thought, Laxus adopted a huge grin. "This is working out perfectly for me. Now that the old man is at death's door I have an even better chance at becoming Fairy Tail's new master.

Levy gasped.

"Damn you…" Gajeel huffed.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" I screamed at him and then I tried to use my magic to stop him but the light around his spell evaporated my magic before it could near him. Damn it!

"This will be the dawn of a new era for Fairy Tail." He said as the light that was coming out from the ground became more intense and more of it started coming out, engulfing the whole place in an illuminating light, which blinded us all. I averted my gaze and put a hand to my eyes.

"I'll rebuild everything from the ground up! I'll form the ultimate guild! One so powerful, all will tremble in our name!" He screamed. Levy fell to her knees.

"You can't do this! Don't you even care about gramps at all?" Natsu tried to reason with him but we were way past that.

 **"** **Fairy Law!"** Laxus slammed his palms together over the light ball between them. Suddenly a huge, golden magical circle appeared before us and bell sound was heard. Everything was blasted into a golden light. If we were being blinded before, now it was as if you were looking directly at the sun with a magnifying glass.

And then… nothing happened.

The light subsided and everyone was standing at their place, unharmed. I sighed in relief as I regained my composure. Laxus looked shocked.

"What the? No way! Impossible!" He shouted at us. "How in the hell are you all still alive? I hit you all with so much magic energy." He looked at his hands in confusion.

Suddenly, Freed appeared at the entrance of the cathedral.

"The guild members and the citizens of Magnolia remain unharmed." He stated and we all looked at him.

"Freed…" Laxus growled darkly.

"Looks like your spell didn't work…" He said, holding his left hand with his right. Mira had done a number on him. "Not a single person was killed." He said calmly.

Laxus' eyes widened. "But that's impossible! I cast the 'Fairy Law' spell perfectly!" He spat angrily.

"Maybe so… but your true feelings have betrayed you!" At that statement, Laxus mouth hang agape. "You've inherited more than strength from your grandfather, deep down you have the master's heart. Weather you'd admit it or not, it's evident that you care for your comrades. The 'Fairy Law' spell only affects those the caster sees as their enemy. Since no one was hurt we know how you truly feel." Freed explained.

"His magic could see into his heart…" Levy perked up. "And that's why we are still here."

Freed gave her a slight nod in confirmation.

"You can try to hide your feelings Laxus but your magic, will always reveal the truth within your heart." Freed stated flatly.

Laxus' eye twitched. "No! That's ridiculous. The truth is that anyone who would dare stand in my way IS my enemy!" He yelled.

"This has gone on long enough! You have to go see the Master before he is gone!" Freed yelled at him.

Laxus' body exploded with energy. "Let the old man die for all I care!" He yelled, revealing his sharpen teeth. "He is nothing to me! He may be family but I am STRONGER!" He yelled, the ground around him exploding, pushing us away. Lighting was once again flying everywhere. Freed covered his face with his hand and Gajeel stood before Levy to protect her. A lightning bolt came running my direction so I had to use my shelter to defend myself.

Suddenly Natsu yelled behind Laxus. "Who do you think you are?" Laxus turned to face him. "You're not stronger than gramps! You couldn't even pull of 'Fairy Law'!"

Natsu tore his shirt that was already mostly torn to pieces, revealing his bare chest.

"You may be his grandson but you are no better than the rest of us!" The pink-haired boy yelled as flames formed around his body. "Don't you know blood ties don't matter? Cus everyone in the guild is supposed to be considered family!"

Laxus glared at him with wide eyes.

"That's just a lie!" The lighting around him started to crack and sparkle more intensely. "Blood ties DO matter!" He argued.

"You've been a member of the guild long enough to know better than that." The flames around him turned into the shape of a dragon. "If you think that makes you above everyone else in the guild," Natsu lunged at him with a clenched fist ready to strike, his whole form aflame. "you're wrong!" He finished.

Laxus did the same. "And you are dead!" The two of them clashed. Suddenly they went through the roof, breaking it and continued the fight outside, above the cathedral.

I bolted towards the exit of the cathedral.

"Come on!" I beckoned for the others to follow me. We exited the building and went outside to watch as the battle unfolded above the building.

The two Dragon Slayers were clashing mid air, creating shockwaves at each strike.

"How dare you challenge me!" Laxus yelled, enraged. He punched Natsu with a lighting fist.

"I'm gonna stomp you Laxus!" Natsu exclaimed as he kicked the lighting Dragon Slayer. "I won't let you get your hands on Fairy Tail! It's our home! There is no way I'm going to let you destroy it!"

 _'_ _You tell em Natsu!'_ I was silently rooting for the pink-haired boy in my mind.

Suddenly Laxus got a hit on him that sent Natsu flying into a part of the cathedral. Before he stood up Laxus caught him and destroyed half of the building with his body.

"Why won't you just die?" He spat as he kicked Natsu, sending him flying. The Fire Dragon Slayer used the roof of the building to slow down his momentum. He succeeded and fell on the roof, instead of plummeting to the ground. Laxus jumped to the far end of the roof.

"Face it already. It's over!" The lighting mage demanded.

"Natsu!" Levy yelled in concern.

"Why won't you just give up the fight?" Natsu asked, using his arms as a support to lift up his head to look at Laxus. "The guild doesn't belong to you. It never will!"

"Oh yeah?" Laxus created a magical circle around his fist. **"Lighting Dragon's Breakdown Fist"** He yelled and a lighting fist charged at Natsu, hitting him head on. A huge explosion followed.

Once the smoke was cleared, Natsu was lying on his stomach, on the roof.

"Didn't the old man ever teach you to respect your elders, boy?" Laxus mocked.

Suddenly Natsu slammed his fist on the roof beneath him. He stood up weakly surprising everyone present.

"No way… He can still fight?" Freed asked dumbfounded.

"Natsu, please, be careful." Levy said lowly.

I looked at the ongoing fight, holding my form to suppress the pain. After the adrenaline had subsided from my body, I started feeling the pain again.

 _'_ _Come on Natsu, you can pull through this…'_ I thought.

"That was your last mistake kid!" Laxus spat angrily, beaming with electricity. He lifted his fist into the air creating a golden magical circle. "Now, I'm going to obliterate you!" He yelled.

"That spell…" Freed's eyes widened. "Don't do it! That much magical energy could kill him!" He yelled but the lighting mage ignored him.

I felt the sudden rise in arcania around me, he was using a lot of magical power for this attack and Natsu barely looked like he could walk. I needed to do something, but what?

 **"** **Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd"** He yelled as a lighting spear formed in his hand and he threw it at Natsu. The pink-haired boy fell on his knees and closed his eye, preparing for the impact.

"Natsu!" Freed yelled in desperation and Levy whimpered. Gajeel quickly pushed the blue-haired girl away from him and I quickly understood why. He transformed his hand into a metal rod and pointed it towards the electic spear. The projectile, changed course and shot towards him instead. I quickly went in front of him.

 **"** **Arcane Dragon Shelter!"** I spread my hands to the side, protecting both him and me with the purplish shield. The lighting spear connected with my shelter and shattered it into millions of tiny purple pieces. The shockwave that was created from the impact sent me flying backwards and I landed on top of Gajeel, on the ground.

"What the… What happened?" Freed asked aloud as Levy tried to comprehend what had happened. "Did he use himself as a lighting rod to attract the attack and then, Anora stepped in to intercept it?" He explained simply what had happened.

Without losing anymore time both me and Gajeel encouraged Natsu in unison. "Get em!"

Natsu looked at us with a concerned expression but then I saw relief. He looked down and let out a small growl. His whole body was set aflame with such intense heat, I could feel it from down here.

"Damn… He is still alive?" Laxus questioned.

 **"** **Fire Dragon…"** The two mages lunged at each other. **"Iron Fist!"** This time Natsu was able to connect his blow and then he proceeded to pummel Laxus with a variety of Fire Dragon Slayer spells.

I got off of Gajeel and stood up, extending a hand to help him up. We all looked at the fight.

"He really is amazing." Levy commented. "His magic is so powerful, it is as if he can break through dragon scales and shatter it's spirit."

 **"** **Dragon Slayer Secret Art:** **Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"** Natsu yelled as he swirled his hands around his body, creating a kind of a tornado made of fire, hurling Laxus in the air. He fell on the rooftop, knocked down for good.

"He did it… He beat Laxus…" Freed exclaimed, looking with shock at the scene as did Levy. I was just standing there with an enormous grin plastered on my face.

Natsu then let out a cry of victory, sounding more like a fierce dragon who had defeated his enemies more so than a human scream.

* * *

 **[Fairy Tail guild hall. Same day, hours after the battle.]**

I was all bandaged up after the battle. Thank god I was not half as bad Natsu was. He was barely visible from bandages that covered his body. We were having a huge feast. After today's events everyone thought that a bit of relaxing and fun wouldn't hurt. Currently I was talking with Erza, trying to make her include me into her play, as was planned from the beginning mind you. Apparently the festival was still going to be held even after everything.

"Come on Erza, pretty please! We were supposed to do the act together, you are not leaving me out of it! I've been looking forward to this day since last year!" I whined as I was almost at the verge of falling down on my knees to beg the armored warrior.

"No! You are in no shape to go through with it." Erza crossed her arms.

"I'm a little hurt and bandaged up, so what? I only have, like thirty bruises and a fractured bone in my arm… that doesn't mean I can't use my magic!" I pouted. Erza frowned at me.

 _'_ _This ain't working! I need my secret weapon.'_ I thought devilishly. I turned my back to her for a second and then looked over my shoulder with puppy eyes, filled with tears. I'm pretty sure I had perfected this act so that my iris' would widen and glimmer in the light. No one could say no to those huge green orbs, sparkling with tears!

Erza huffed in annoyance as she broke under my gaze. "Fine…"

 _'_ _Success!'_

"YES! Don't worry, I won't let you down!" I smiled from ear to ear at her. She smiled as well.

"Just don't make yourself worse."

"No promises here." I stuck my tongue out at her.

Suddenly the whole guild became quiet as a figure entered the building. The shock from which the silence was created was by the fact that the man who entered the guild hall was Laxus himself. He, too, was wrapped in bandages. He walked slowly forward, ignoring the stares that he was receiving.

The whole guild went into an uproar as he asked were the master was.

"Quiet everyone!" Erza silenced everyone. "The Master is in the infirmary." She told Laxus with crossed hands. I glared at the man from where I was standing, not saying anything.

Without a word, Laxus started walking towards the said room but he was cut off by Natsu.

"Where do you think you're going?" Natsu said, muffled from the bandage that was covering his mouth. He startled most people because they couldn't understand him. Being the Dragon Slayers that we were, me, Gajeel and Laxus were the only ones that could understand him thanks to our heightened hearing.

"Natsu…" Laxus looked down at him.

Natsu suddenly pointed a finger at the man and started muttering out nonsense to the normal ear. Everyone in the guild looked in confusion, dumbfounded.

"What did he say?" Mira asked, as everyone gathered around the two.

Since it was already established that Gajeel could understand him, Lucy asked him to translate.

He told them that Natsu wanted to fight Laxus one versus one instead of three versus one and that next time he was going to be the winner. After that Lucy asked how was this not a victory and Gajeel explained to her that this was hardly a one.

After that, Laxus continued towards the infirmary, no one trying to stop him anymore.

"Ok, shows over guys. Let's get ready for the Fantasia parade!" Erza riled everyone up.

"YEAH!" The whole guild boomed.

* * *

 **[Night of the Fantasia Parade. Same day.]**

Fireworks were exploding left and right. The air was filled with confetti and some magical forms such as hearts, circles and stars. The whole town was here, everyone was having fun. People were dressed like wizards. Different costumes on everyone!

Everyone from Fairy Tail had a movable stage with a certain act. Each with different themes. We had Cana and her card act. Our girl dancing stage with Lucy, Levy and Bisca on board. Then we had our fortress stage with Elfman posing as the monster and Mira as the beautiful maiden of the tower… who could turn into a giant pink snake, apparently. Maybe the others thought it was creepy but I think it was kinda cute. Then we had Gray and Juvia's water and ice performance. The two of them created a castle of ice and decorated it with water, it was truly magnificent.

Afterwards came mine and Erza's stage. Erza was standing in the front, with a beautiful gold and red gown. Ten swords dancing around her and two more in her hand. I was standing behind her with my bandages and my favourite azure and violet dress. I waved my hands in a swirling motion, wincing at the pain as my fractured bone in my left arm made a cracking noise. Suddenly I lifted my arms behind my back as if I was taking off with wings. Two purplish, ethereal, draconic wings appeared and thrust themselves backwards, creating a huge gust of wind.

After that I lifted my right hand into the air and the wings arranged so that their ends could touch one another. From the tip of the end of the ethereal wings, a huge blast of white, violet and blue light shot into the sky, exploding into the symbol of Fairy Tail and then dissolving into millions of tiny particles of the three colors and then fell all around the people that were watching. They gazed in astonishment and I smirked at my good work. Erza had danced with her swords under the background that I set for her.

Behind us Natsu and Happy were after us with their fire tricks as Natsu breathed fire into the air creating the name 'Fairy Tail'. Everyone was here and everyone was having fun. There were even people that we met throughout our adventures. It was really fun. A night to remember for sure.

Finally, Master Makarov was finishing the parade with his silly act and his cat costume, which made everyone crack a smile. Suddenly we saw him raise his hand into the air, giving us the sign. We all raised our right hands into the air, extending our index fingers forward as the others were still clenched. This was our send off for Laxus… No matter what, he was still part of our guild, our family and he will always be… Everyone smiled brightly as they took part in this simple act of kindness.

I was standing near Erza with a huge grin plastered on my face as we bid Laxus farewell, wherever he was.

"The party is just getting started!" Natsu laughed excitedly. "I'm all fired up now! Ok, guys! Who's proud to be a member of Fairy Tail?" Natsu yelled.

Everyone cheered in agreement. This was one heck of a day.

 **Just a fair warning this A/N is a bit longer than usual.**

 ** _Reply to a Guest:_** ** _ImmaCherryPop_** ** _: You are correct for the most part. Anora isn't part of the Eclipse plan. She doesn't need to be a special case so that Inoreth can get inside of her though. The reasons the dragons enter the Dragon Slayers bodies are two: 1) As you said, to face Acnologia and 2) To stop the slayers from turning into dragons, from using their powers, like what happened to Acnologia. So Inoreth went inside of her to prevent that. But you are also correct at the fact that he is a 'modern-day' dragon as you put it. Meaning that as of right now, he is technically, the oldest dragon of the other bunch. How did that happen? Well, you'll just have to wait and see, now won't you? :P_**

 ** _Reply to a_** ** _Guest_** ** _: As of right now I do not intend to pair Anora with any of the main characters. They just have too much awesome ships and I don't want to sink any of them. Sadly that means Anora is going to be a matchmaker like Mira for the time being but I'm thinking of giving her an OC as a pair, idk about this though, so we will see… As for Anora's exceed, let's first see if you people want her to have one. And I'm sorry but I ain't telling what I'm planning for the exceed, it's going to ruin the surprise. :3_**

 **A/N: Ermegard, I have finally finished this beast! This is the longest chapter, beating the others with around 4000 words. You could say that this is kind of a double update ^^. This end the "Battle of Fairy Tail" arc and we are moving onwards to the next one.**

 **Ok so amma just say it now, I don't think of including the "Phoenix" arc in this story. I'll be just moving forward like in the anime. What's your guys opinion on the matter?**

 **Also I want to ask you… Do you want Anora to have an exceed? I'll base this on voting like I did with Juvia. I really don't know about this so amma let you guys decide. Either ways I've thought of how to do it, so yeah... :P**

 **With this all being said, see ya all in the next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19: Whispers of Something More

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay guys… I experienced my first case of author's block and it sucked… It was so frustrating because I didn't know what to do with this chapter and that's why it took WAY longer than usual to get it done.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Nineteen

Whispers of Something More

 **[One week after the Harvest Festival.]**

Magnolia was finally starting to feel normal again after everything that happened. Today Master Makarov informed us that he had kicked Laxus out of the guild. Sure the guy was a douche but he was still part of our big family. It was clear that deep down he liked being apart of our small guild. I honestly felt bad for the guy as I heard the news but there was nothing to be done. Master's word was final.

Natsu on the other hand didn't see it that way.

"Why did you kick him out gramps? Couldn't you have just sent him to his room or something?" He waved his fist around angrily.

Master was just sitting on top of the bar with closed eyes and crossed hands. His head leaning to the ground. After he didn't say anything, Natsu exploded, taking the whole guild's attention.

"I thought he was part of our family!?" He roared. "We all know that he is a jerk but come on!"

Erza and I approached him to try and calm him down.

"That is quite enough!" Erza said in a commanding voice.

Natsu gritted his teeth in irritation before he yelled again. "But now that he is gone I may never get the chance to fight him again gramps!" He waved his fist into the air, looking at grams who hadn't budged from his position, still with closed eyes. Erza looked down at Natsu's words. I patted her on the shoulder and went up next to Natsu who was now yelling directly at Master's face.

"I just know I'd be strong enough to beat him next time." I grabbed him by the shoulder with a though grip. It was enough to stop his rambling and take notice of me. He looked at me over his shoulder.

"That's enough Natsu. Leave gramps alone!" I whisper-shouted. "This is not the time for this! Imagine how the Master is feeling right now! Do you think he expelled his grandchild because he wanted to?" I started yelling. Natsu's resolve broke down at my words. He looked at the ground, still with a clenched fist before his face.

"No, but…" He tried to say something. I know that this was his way of trying to say that he didn't want Laxus to leave, that he forgave him. He just used the excuse to fight him so that he could retain his fiery reputation, but right now… it was just not the time.

Happy suddenly jumped on Natsu's shoulder. "I still can't believe he ended up being a Dragon Slayer too. Just like you and Anora!" The blue feline said.

Master finally decided to open his eyes. He looked up at us, still with crossed hands and spoke slowly.

He huffed. "No… Laxus was never a real Dragon Slayer." He told us. Natsu and Happy gasped. Master then told everyone how Laxus's father, Ivan, had put a magical lacrima inside him when he was young so that the boy could be able to use Dragon Slayer magic.

"I'm sorry." Gramps finally finished his tale. He closed his eyes again and looked down.

"Wow, I didn't even know that existed." Happy commented. "Dragon Slayer lacrima?" He asked no one in particular.

Not long after that exchange, Master decided that he will relinquish his title as the head of the guild. Like hell that would happen! We all tried very hard to persuade him not to do it. We finally succeeded when Freed showed up. He had cut his long green hair to show his repentance. With a few words and that gesture of honor he persuaded Master to stay.

Freed wasn't the only one that opened up to the guild though. Evergreen and Bickslow also started acting better towards their fellow guild mates. It was nice that they finally found out that there are a lot of people that care for them and it shouldn't be only the three of them that look after each other.

Erza on the other hand wanted to be alone for a while. Her meeting with Mystogan had shaken her badly. She even asked me how I was so calm about it all.

"Aren't you even a little bit curious as to who he is? He looks just like Jellal!" She asked me, while we were sitting in a restaurant. We had stopped at it after a one day mission.

"No Erza…" I huffed. "I really don't want to think about Jellal and that man is not him. I don't want to chase answer I don't want to find…" I took a sip of my drink. I really didn't want to know, mostly because I already knew, but the main reason was that it reminded me of Jellal and I didn't want that. But I could see that Erza was dead set on finding out and I was probably discouraging her. Feeling bad about that fact, I tried to correct my mistake. "…But that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Master would probably know about him, you might want to talk to him…" I looked at her and she looked at me. That was all we said. She nodded in acknowledgment and then we just drank our drinks.

* * *

Currently I was sitting at a table in the guild hall, cheerfully nomming on some strawberry cake. Erza was glaring at me from the other side of the table.

"Oh… why the sour look?" I lifted the fork as I ate a piece of the cake to tease her even more. I smirked as she scowled at me. "Hey, we had a deal." I shrugged and continued to eat at the delicious dessert. It tasted better because of the fact that the whole guild was now gather around a piece of paper on the request board that stated:

 _The result announcement of The Miss FAIRY Tail CONTEST_

 _1…Anora_

 _2…Erza_

 _3…Lucy_

We had continued the contest after the festival and I was at first place. Of course with the sweet taste of Erza's defeat, the delicious strawberry cake that was melting in my mouth at the moment and the five hundred thousand jewels earned from the contest, it was safe to say that this was turning out to be one of my best days.

"I'll get you next time! Mark my words Anora!" Erza leaned on the table to face me. She clenched an armored fist in front of me as she support herself on the table with her other arm.

After that she walked away, finally having enough of my teasing. We had made the deal even sweeter. We added the rule that for the day, the loser cannot buy cake for himself. Which ment that Erza could only watch me do it today. I know… I'm evil like that…

Looking around, I saw Lucy talking to Cana on a nearby table. I had heard her screams as she found out the results of the contest. She had cried for a bit and Natsu tried to calm her down. The dolt! When are they gonna see that they are perfect for each other… I kinda feel bad for her though, she wanted to win so badly so that she could have rent money. For a moment there I saw her whole face flush red and I arched an eyebrow.

Totally innocently, concentrating on their conversation, I listened in.

"Wha… I'm not blushing!" Lucy told Cana and then she quickly turned away from her to hide her face.

"Heh… Come on blondy… You've had boyfriends before, right?" Cana asked teasingly. Lucy started looking around frantically.

"Yeah… I've… had… like, uh, three." She said, sweat pouring out of her. I snickered a bit.

"Three? You're so lying." Cana commented calmly. "Haven't you ever wanted to date anybody?" Cana suddenly asked seriously. Lucy gaped for a second. This was getting interesting.

"Well yeah I've had crushes… but…" She huffed. "I don't know." She looked at the ground. "I suppose it was not ment to be." She looked depressed now. Cana suddenly turned to address everyone, as she put her hands around her mouth and yelled.

"Hey! Listen up everyone!" Lucy was screaming near her, waving her hands frantically for her to stop. "You'll laugh at this. The third cutest girl in Fairy Tail just told me that she has never had a boyfriend!"

Cana suddenly turned towards Lucy and started whispering. I listened in once again, totally not abusing my senses, no sir ye!

"You don't have to worry." Her changes from teasing Cana to serious Cana were freaking me out and I wasn't even the one talking to her. Suddenly she smiled suggestively. "You see, the cards have spoken to me, apparently you are fated to have a fateful encounter today."

Lucy's eyes widened at her words. "Wait, I will? Today?" She asked, wanting to find out more details on the matter. Suddenly Erza ran past them, wearing her purple gown. I arched an eyebrow at the scene.

Lucy stood up. "Hey, Erza what's with the fancy get up?" She asked the red headed girl.

Erza quickly turned around and in a rushed voice answered. "I don't have time to talk! I need to go and put my make up on!" She exclaimed and then ran off to somewhere.

' _What the hell was that all about?'_ I was confused.

Suddenly Gajeel ran past Lucy as well, wearing his white tuxedo and his guitar in hand. He dashed quickly chanting 'Shooby doo ba!'

' _Ok, either I'm dreaming or something is really fishy here…'_

Lucy alos asked herself what was going on. Thankfully Mira filled us in.

"You didn't hear the news?" The white haired girl came from behind Lucy with a wide smile. The blonde turned her attention to Mira. "A reporter from 'Sorcerer Weekly' magazine is coming to the guild later to make an interview."

That hit me like a rock to the head. I suddenly bolted up and ran to my house, not paying attention at how weird I looked doing that.

' _Crap, crap, crap.'_ I cursed mentally. _'I totally forgot about the interview.'_

I came in front of the house. Richard was just closing the front door as I bolted past him.

"Hey, Ano…" Before he could finish I was already past him. I believe I even left him spinning with the sheer force I ran past him.

"Hey Richard!" Was all I said before I found myself in my room. I didn't even unlock my door, I just blinked inside. Talk about overreaction… Truthfully I was never one to seek attention but after the first time I was introduced to an interviewer and then I was posted into the magazine, I couldn't help myself feel proud that I was becoming popular. I felt giddiness inside me trying to burst out. I was never like that in my old life so it was kinda of a new experience to me.

I was currently in a green T-shirt and jeans. I took a fast shower and then I quickly switched my attire over to my favourite azure and violet dress. It was a key part of my personality after all and I just loved that old thing. One would say as much as Natsu loved his scarf.

I went in front of the mirror. I combed my hair gently, to soften the locks. I looked at my long loose hair.

' _Reminder: Ask Lucy for Cancer's help for a nice haircut.'_ I thought to myself.

I was finally ready. I walked out of my house, locking it as I exited and then I continued towards the guild. I met Erza at the entrance of the guild hall.

"Hey, Erza!" I waved at her.

"Hey, Anora!" She greeted back.

"I didn't miss the interview, right?" I asked.

"No, the interviewer should come any moment though." She told me as she was looking around. It was obvious she was excited as well.

At that moment Lucy, came to the guild hall, sulking. She looked at us.

"Hey, I didn't miss the interview guy, did I?" She asked us.

"Nope. You're just in time." I answered. Suddenly some kind of realization hit her and she started getting depressed.

"Oh man… I totally forgot to buy hair magazines." She said to no one in particular. "And I came into the guild hall when I was supposed to go home…" She was lowering her head to the ground with each word. Suddenly behind us an excited man's voice was heard.

"OH! Is that Titania?" We turned around to see a blonde man with a pink T-shirt and a camera hanging around his neck. "I can't believe it's you! And t-the daughter of magic, Anora…" I arched an eyebrow at him. Before I knew what was happening the man lept towards us and then fell on his knees before us screaming "SOOOOOO COOOOOL!"

"I'm such a fan! WOOOOAAAW. COOOOOL!" The man shouted, throwing his hands left and right to gesture epicness.

"So… uh, who's the weirdo with the camera?" Lucy commented as we all watched the man daydream about something. Mira approached us from the side.

"Girls, meet Jason from 'Sorcerer Weekly'." She said with her trademark gentle smile.

Jason, as he was introduced, finished his daydreaming after a while and decided that he wanted some pictures of us. We obliged but I saw that he was ignoring Lucy quite a bit. I didn't say anything though…

He asked Erza if she could change in her normal armor and she reluctantly agreed.

"But this outfit isn't anything special… The dress I had on was cuter." She commented with a blush as Jason was taking pictures of her.

"No! You look perfect. I was hoping to capture you in your natural element!" He assured her.

Afterwards, the blonde interviewer wanted to take some pictures of me. Of course, I agreed. I noticed that while he was taking pictures of me, Lucy tried to get his attention but failed miserably. I shot her a 'Sorry!' look.

"Oh, oh, oh! Do you girls have time for a quick interview?"

"I suppose." Erza agreed with her hands on her hips.

"Hell yeah!" I was aboard too.

First he asked Erza some basic questions and then he turned towards me with a piece of paper and a pen in hand.

"Ok, Anora! Our viewers would really like to know the extent of your conjure abilities." He asked excitedly.

"Oh… uhm, I can create mostly anything if I concentrate enough. I just like to conjure chains and swords to aid me in battle but I don't think there is something I can't make. Well as long as there are enough ethernanos in the air that is. In a way it's like ice-maker magic." I pointed out.

He scribbled something in his little notebook.

"Woah! That's so cool! Ok, next question! What is your favourite color?" He asked me.

"Tough question. I kinda like all the colors but if I had to choose my favourite I would say…" I stroked my invisible beard. "That it's a tie between azure, violet and green." I said, lifting an index finger in the air.

"Ok, ok!" He said after he finished writing. "What is your favourite food?" He asked with curiosity sparkling in his eyes. That was kinda weird for such a simple question.

"Well I'd have to go with fish and chips." I answered.

"Aye!" Happy agreed from the side with me."

After that he started going around the whole guild, interviewing people, all the while ignoring Lucy completely. I snickered at the part where Jason received a blow from Natsu. Apparently the pink haired boy didn't appreciate people writing about him blowing stuff. Ok I lied. Best part was when Gajeel sang a song. The song actually quickly escalated into a battle between Gajeel and Natsu.

Jason was actually quite excited for the fight. That is, until he got knocked out from the crossfire of course. It was quite a hectic day, I'll give you that. After Jason left, everything went as a normal day. Right now I was slowly walking towards my home when I saw Lucy sulking, walking slowly without aim. I ran over to her.

"Hey, Lucy!" I gave her a warm smile. "Why are you feeling so down?" I asked her.

The girl lifted her head to look at me. "Oh, hey Anora. I'm just thinking, that's all."

"Well, what about?" I pushed.

"It's nothing really… It's just confusing. I have a date tonight and he is probably already waiting for me but Natsu and Happy got a perfect job that we could go to so that I can pay my rent. I just… don't know which to choose." She said with a huff. We walked past a shop filled with clocks.

As I heard her words I smiled brightly. "I think that deep down you already know what you are going to choose." I commented and she looked at me. "You just haven't accepted it yet." I crossed my hands. I shook my head to the right, gesturing for her to look at the clocks in the store. The current train ain't going nowhere in the next twenty minutes.

She looked at the clocks and then she smiled lightly. "Yeah, I guess you are right… Thanks." And with that she bolted towards the train station. I smirked knowingly as I watched her form disappear. I walked back to my house for the night and completed my routine of taking a bath, dressing in my nighties and then writing something in my diary before bed. It was a peaceful night.

* * *

 **[Some days later. Early afternoon.]**

I was coming back from a solo mission I took so that I could pay my rent. The reward was nice, one hundred thousand jewels. The five hundred thousand from the contest were long gone. I had finally bought myself a piano! It was totally worth it though. I even had fifty thousand to spare from the prize. I was currently walking past the guild. I was heading for my home because it was an exhausting day and I really needed a bath.

Suddenly as I was walking past the guild, an ear splitting sound was heard. That was Lucy screeming. I looked towards the guild as I passed by, wondering what all the commotion was about. Just when I was gonna continue on my merry way, the doors burst open and Natsu came out running somewhere… and wait… WAS HE BLUSHING?

My eyes widened and I dropped the azure bag, that I was carrying over my right shoulder, on the ground in shock.

"Natsu, where are you running off to?" I yelled after him. He didn't even stop to acknowledge me. He just yelled as he continued to wherever he was going.

"Oh, hey Anora! Sorry, can't talk now. Gotta go, bye!" My eyes widened even further now. He was speaking so fast like wow.

' _What the hell did I miss while I was gone?!'_ I thought to myself as I picked up my bag. As tempting as it was to bolt up into the guild and demand answers for these, obviously spicy news, I needed to get a bath first. So I went over to my house, greeting Richard along the way and I did just that.

 **[That same day. Anora's room. Late afternoon.]**

After the nice bath I stayed at home and relaxed for the day. I loved myself for that decision now. I was currently sitting on my bed and practicing my guitar skills. Every song that I remembered from my old life, I would write down on paper so I wouldn't forget it. That way I would have a bunch of songs to try out if I ever got the courage to sing something in front of the guild. Right as I finished my practice, something caught my eye. It was a book Lucy had lent me a while back ago. I had finished the old thing and now it was just gathering dust on my desk.

"I should probably return it to her." I thought out-loud. I placed the guitar next to my bed and then went over and picked the book. I hurried out of my house, locking it as I exited and then I went over to the neighboring house. I knocked on Lucy's door.

"Hey, Lucy, it's Anora! Can I come in?" No answer. The lights were on, so she might have not heard me?

"Lucy, ya in there?" Same result. I frowned a bit. Even if she was in the bath, she has proven before that she could hear if someone was yelling at her door.

"I'm busting in then!" Not even a shout for a stop. Ok, now I was getting worried. I quickly blinked on the other side of the door and the scene before me shocked me. In front of me was Lucy in a black skirt and with a red heart locket around her neck. She had a fancy haircut and she was dolled up for somewhere… or someone.

But the most shocking thing was how she was kneeling on the ground, staring at the ceiling with utter shock and a bit of amusement on her features and a mad blush on her face. Her head was redder than Erza's hair. Oh she was thinking about dirty things! That would explain her strong daydreaming. I came up to her and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Earthland to Lucy, do you copy?" I asked teasingly. She blinked a few times and then looked at me, her eyes widening.

She jumped back. "AHHHHH! Anora, what are you doing here?!" She pointed an index finger at me as if she was a child who got busted.

I let out a toothy grin from ear to ear. Oh she was deep in it.

"I just came to give you back the book you lent me." I explained, giving her the book. "You weren't answering your door, so I thought something had happened and I came to check in." I crossed my hands and somehow my smirk grew wider.

"So now, spill!" I looked at her knowingly.

"W-What do you mean?" She was becoming redder by the second.

"Oh don't give me that!" I waved an index finger in front of her. "You are obviously madly enticed by someone. Hell, you didn't even notice me from that dirty fantasy of yours." I smiled even more.

She gulped and started to stutter. "W-what, d-do you m-mean? I-I wasn't daydreaming a-at all!" She tried to sound convincing, but failed miserably.

"Come on Lucy, please!" I gave her the puppy eye treatment. She was not getting out of this so easily! I had a suspicion but I need it confirmed!

She huffed. "Fine…" My giddiness could probably be felt from a mile away. I waited with baited breath for her to start talking. It was like centuries passed.

"There were rumors that Natsu had a crush on someone and after I heard them he came to me and asked me to meet him alone tonight, in the middle of the South Gate Park. The worst part is that he said it with a blush… What am I to make of that?" She said, confused.

"So you are gonna go on a date with him?" I asked calmly.

' _YES! I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL! IT IS FINALLY HAPPENING!'_ I squealed in my mind but keeping a poker face in reality.

Lucy blushed even more, if that was possible. "NO! It's not a date!"

I smirked knowingly. "Ya sure about that? That daydream you were having before looked like fun."

Her face was now like a tomatoe. "It wasn't what it looked like!" She yelled, waving her hands in the air.

I laughed lightly. "Ok, ok, ok. I'm going to stop with the teasing. But let us not waste any more time, he is probably waiting for you already." She looked at the clock.

"Your right…"

"Come on, let's go!" I started pulling her towards the door.

"Wait, you are coming too?" She asked me curiously.

"Of course not silly, this is your date, I'm just gonna make sure nothing ruins it!" I said smiling from ear to ear.

"It's NOT a date!" She screamed as I pulled her out of the house. After we got out of the house, I looked her over.

"Ok looking all good!" I beamed a bright smile at her.

She went and checked herself out in the calm water in the river. Some men in a boat passed by in the river.

"Watch out Lucy, that's dangerous." They warned.

"I'll be ok!" She assured them.

"Hey, you are looking good in that dress you got on. Now don't go falling into the river before your big date!" They warned again before they continued forward on their path.

"Why does everyone think I'm going out on a date?!" She yelled after them.

She looked herself over in the water again, brushing aside some of her golden locks.

"I guess… I do look good." She murmured but then her face shot red. "BUT IT'S NOT A DATE!" She yelled as she looked at my form. I was standing there with crossed hands and a wild smirk.

"Just admit it already Lucy! It's obvious that you like him at least a little!" I pushed her.

She looked down. "Well…" She tried but then she started to shake her head violently. "NO! This is bad! I can't have a crush on someone I work with!" She was trying to convince herself mostly.

"Why not?" I asked her and she looked at me and then at the ground.

"Well…I…uh…maybe you are right, maybe being on the same team is a good thing… We'll always be together."She said with a hushed and gentle voice. She was starting to open up. I smiled brightly as we walked towards the middle of the South Gate Park, were the date was going to be held.

She started daydreaming again to my total amusement. "Forever and ever…" She mumbled hopefully. And then, just like that the moment was over.

"WAAAAAH! NO! This isn't right!" She looked at the ground again. I gave up. It was gonna happen on it's own in the date anyways so I rushed her to go faster.

I rolled my eyes at her confusion. "Come on, it's gonna get dark soon, we better make haster."

 **[Sola tree, in the middle of South Gate Park. Night time.]**

 **Lucy**

My heart was racing really fast. Anora had left just a moment ago, telling me that she wanted to give us some privacy on our date and she told me that she would make sure nothing bad was going to happen. Of course I screamed at her that it was not a date but I don't know anymore… The closer I was getting to the Solar tree, the faster my heart was thumping.

' _Stay calm! You've got this. There is no need to get all nervous. Just keep it together.'_ I was assuring myself as I was walking towards the tree slowly, looking down at the ground with a small blush on my face.

Just as I reached the tree Natsu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, surprising me.

"Hey! You made it!" He said with a wide grin, waving a hand at my direction.

I jumped back a bit as my whole body started to tremble.

' _He is here! What should I do?'_ I was searching for a good answer and then I looked at him only too see him with that big, bright grin of his that made the sun be envious of it. WHERE DID THESE THOUGHTS COME FROM!?

' _Aw man, I'm such a pushover when it comes to this kind of stuff.'_ I thought as I closed my eyes so that my attention won't be distracted by his big, goofy smile. I opened them when I suddenly heard a strange sound that resembled a shovel hitting the ground.

"Huh?" I looked at Natsu.

"Sure took ya long enough, now hurry up and summon that maid of yours!" He said as he leaned over the shovel, which he had shoved into the ground.

I stared at him dumbfounded.

"Ya know, what's her name." He said casually. "Come on… Oh yeah! Virgo." I blinked a few times as he bumped the ground with the shovel. "Ya see the ground here is too though to dig through, only that Celestial maid you've got could get past it." He explained.

I was trembling again, still dumbstruck. "Hold on… You said… You had something important…to say?" I asked him, all the daydreams I had this day going through my head.

He started looking around as if to see if the perimeter was clear. Then he came closer and put a hand to his mouth so that no one else could hear and with a goofy grin said. "You are not gonna believe this but there is an amazing treasure buried here." He said casually "Somebody told me that there is a photo album, top full of embarrassing pictures of all the members in Fairy Tail. And they told me gramps buried it here to hide it. So… I wanna dig it up." He said with an ear to ear grin.

I got out of my daze and I stepped forward, feeling confidence once more, I was able to open my mouth.

With sweat on my forehead I began. "Um… I heard you… then I overheard that you had a crush on some girl?" He was just trying to dig up the ground so I stepped forward to him. "Everyone was talking about how you kept saying "I wanna see her" ?" I pushed the question out.

"Hmm?" He stopped and looked up at me. "I was just looking for Virgo, it's not like I have feelings for her or nothin'." He said, looking away and then he turned to face me again, with that goofy grin of his. "I was really just hoping that she would dig this hole for me." He laughed lightly.

And just like that, all the things I was thinking about today, shattered. For some reason it hurt that he didn't want to see 'me'…

"You were? Huh?" I asked nicely. "That's important? Digging a hole?" I asked angrily.

And just like that I smacked him on the face a few times and then ran away from the scene.

' _What was I thinking?! How can I be such an idiot?"_ I thought constantly in my mind as I ran to my house. Along the way I didn't miss the huge violet and blue explosion that happened not far away from us but I didn't pay attention to it, it was probably Anora…

 **Natsu**

"Woah… what the…" I asked, confused as Lucy smacked me across the face a few times and then just ran away. I just wanted her help that's all…

Suddenly a huge violet and blue explosion made the earth shudder. The impact was not that far away from my position.

' _Geeze, what's with girls getting cranky today?'_ I thought as I saw that the explosion was created from nothing other than Anora's Arcane Dragon Slayer magic.

 **Anora**

I was standing in the middle of a little crater that I created in a fit of anger. I might have gone a little overboard after I overheard Lucy and Natsu's conversation. How was that moment ruined so easily?! I moaned in frustration.

At the moment I was just hitting my head repeatedly on a tree, thinking of how could Natsu be such a dolt… The tree was beginning to crack already at that spot. Not long after I just returned home, trying to forget that this evening ever happened. Natsu was a hopeless case...

 _ **Reply to a Guest:**_ _ **ImmaCherryPop**_ _ **: We shall deal with Kagura when it comes to that, don't worry I have thought about it, it hasn't slipped my mind.**_

 **A/N: I hope I don't get more author's block in the future, it's really annoying to deal with… Anyways, last time I asked you guys if you wanted Anora to have an exceed and it would appear that everyone agrees that she should have. So watch out for some kitty action in the future chapters. :3**

 **Also, almost everyone agrees with me on the fact that Anora should stay as a matchmaker for the time being instead of going around, stealing ships.**

 **See ya guys in the next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20: A Twist of Fate

**A/N: Welp, this chapter took longer than expected. It took me two more days than usual to make it but it has TRIPLE the content of a normal chapter. At first, I decided to make it into two chapters but as I kept writing, I was like 'I need to finish this as a whole.' And so here it is:**

 **Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter Twenty

A Twist of Fate

I am currently on a carriage towards the second home of Blue Pegasus' Master, Bob. That was our rendezvous point. We were going to meet some people from other guilds to create an Alliance to battle versus the dark guild 'Oración Seis'. The days that led to this moment were boring, to say the least, so I was glad for the change of scenery. If only this bloody motion sickness would go away…

* * *

A few days back Natsu was finally ready to go on a mission again after he took a small break. Of course, our little gang all joined in on his quest. Well, at least that was our plan… Right as we were about to start the mission, Lucy suddenly vanished. We later tracked her down to a merchant guild called 'Love&Lucky'. Because of our little chase, we had to forfeit the mission. Needless to say that everyone was pissed. Well, I wasn't because I remembered why Lucy had run away… To try and save her father. I couldn't be mad at her for that.

After we got back to the guild, we decided to go on another mission. It was work in a local restaurant called '8island'. We were surprised to see that mister Yajima was the owner. Apparently, he had stepped down from his council post and now he was the owner of this small building. Since the food was cooked with magic, he thought it would be good for business if the waiters and waitresses were wizards and that's where our part came in.

It was a bit nostalgic since I had a job as a waitress in a small café in my old life so I enjoyed myself throughout the whole ordeal. Lucy, on the other hand, wasn't so fond of our job. Erza was another thing entirely, though… She was seducing men left and right, making them buy more things that they required. It was quite hilarious actually.

After we got back to the guild, having completed our mission, we were met with a gathering at the guild hall. Everyone was discussing the dark guilds. Mainly the three leaders of the dark guilds – The Baram Alliance. It consisted of three powerful dark guilds. Tartaros, a name I will never forget from the anime. For now at least, we were not going to be dealing with them, thank the lord. Grimoire Heart. I had remembered parts from the Tenrou arc so I knew about the members of this dark guild. For now, though, our focus was on the one and only, Oración Seis. As we were discussing, Master Makarov came back from a conference and told us that we were to make an Alliance with other representatives from other guilds and we are to take down the dark guild known as 'Oración Seis'.

* * *

And that's the short version of how I got stuck on this stupid, moving piece of wood. We were headed towards the place where we were supposed to meet the others of our little Alliance. Of course, I already knew what was gonna happen. Well, mostly… It didn't make me any less excited thought. Well… now that I think about it, it wasn't all happy-fun-times but at least we get out alive! Hey, that's a major plus in my book!

I was lying on the ground next to Natsu in the carriage. The others were all seated around us.

"I know I've said this before but I've got a really bad feeling about this mission…" Lucy said for the… well, I stopped counting after the tenth time… "And why am I here?! I'm not all that strong! It's not like I'm going to be able to help you guys anyways…" She said, starting to panic.

"Look, this ain't no picnic for me either." Gray commented. "So quit pouting, would ya?" She made a pouting face at that.

Suddenly the carriage went over a rock and the whole goddamn thing shook. I and Natsu moaned. I was about to throw up.

"We are here for one reason!" Erza said, determined. "Because Master put his faith in us, so let us not disappoint him."

Lucy hummed in agreement. "I know…" She admitted. "You're right, but Gajeel and Juvia are better fighters." She told the red-haired warrior. Happy suddenly joined in on the conversation while he was nomming on a fish.

"They can't come because Master sent the two of them on another mission." He told her.

Natsu suddenly moaned. "I don't care! I just… wanna… get… there…" Just as he was about to finish he held back a barf.

I lifted my hand weakly in the air, sticking out a thumbs up. I was holding my stomach with the other hand. "I… second… that!" I mirror his pained expression.

"It just seems that we are always picked for this stuff." Lucy commented.

"You should consider it an honor." Erza gave Lucy her point of view. "And today will be our first joined operation, involving the other allied guilds." She told us. "It's important that we all focus our efforts on starting to build a positive rapport.

"There it is, the rendezvous spot!" Happy exclaimed.

"Thank… the lord…" I moaned from my spot.

The moment the stupid ride stopped I lost no time in hesitation of getting away from it. I just took a moment to stabilize myself and then I was all hunky-dory again.

Natsu, on the other hand, didn't have the luxury to lose the motion sickness as fast as me so he was still moaning and sulking. We decided to enter the huge building in front of us. The double door squeaked as we opened it. The place was well… how can one explain it. Ok, here goes nothing. Hear candles, pink and red carpets with embroidered hearts, hearts as pillars, hearts mostly everywhere… Even I wasn't this girly… I bet even Lucy wasn't

"Great… Another creepy, old mansion." Lucy observed.

"It's the second home of Blue Pegasus' Master, Bob." Erza explained.

"Oh… him." Gray joined in on the commentary. "He… makes me feel funny." He said with obvious discomfort. I shuddered as I remembered the old master. He was certainly something else.

"Gray, be nice. Master Bob may be a little eccentric but he does deserve our utmost respect." Erza said with crossed hands and a teasing smirk.

"Yeah… 'eccentric'." Lucy teased.

"Just tell me when we are there guys…" Natsu said. He was sitting on the red carpet in the middle of the room in a meditation pose.

"Ok! We're there!" Happy teased him from the side.

"Yes! They are here at last!" A voice was heard from the entrance.

"At last!" Two other voices repeated after the first. We all looked towards the double door's direction to see who the voices belonged to. To our surprise, no one was at the door.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Came echoing voices.

"Hello!" One said. "Hello!" The other two repeated. "Fairy…" One again… "Fairy…" Two again. "Tail…" You know the drill by now. Suddenly a huge spotlight shone in front of the staircase behind us. We all turned to see three men standing under it, their features shadowed by their hair. "…Wizards!" They finished their strange greeting.

And just like robots, in a chilling way, they all said in unison. "We are so glad you came!" Then those same words echoed around a few times like in a horror movie. We were all staring at them dumbfounded.

The one in the middle, who had orange hair, stepped forward. "We are…" He began.

The one on his left from my viewpoint, the blond, stepped forward next to the first guy afterward. "…The Blue Pegasus'…" He continued.

The third guy did the same as the others. He had dark hair. "…Elite crew." He finished.

"The Trimens." They all said in unison. The spotlight behind them, that was helping shadow their features, suddenly disappeared and we all had a good view at them.

"Hundred Night Hibiki." The orange haired one introduced himself.

"Holy Night Eve." The blond was next.

"Still Night Ren." The black haired one finished and they all struck a pose.

Lucy started fangirling. I remembered these guys from the anime, nut I didn't remember them… being so awkward…

"The Trimens from Blue Pegasus?" Lucy asked in astonishment. "Wow… That is so cool. Those guys are like, the hottest wizards around now." She explained. "Hibiki Lates is always is always near the top of Sorcerer's Weekly's most eligible wizard bachelor's list. He's been in the top three for the last few months!" She pointed out. Hibiki just gave her a cute pose.

Our boys started acting strange and the three newcomers… started wooing us…

The first target was Erza. I have never seen her shift her eyes faster in my life. The way they dragged her to a couch and the way they tried to please her in every way was so funny that I almost burst out laughing. That is until the one called Hibiki came to me, doing the same thing… And just like that, the situation was awkward.

He grabbed me by the waist, getting too close for comfort. "I've heard tales of your beauty and they are not even close to the real thing." He said as he pushed me towards another couch.

"Ugh… uh… what?!" I tried to comprehend the situation.

"Please, have a seat. You must be really tired after that ride, after all, I've heard you have motion sickness. That must be awful." I sat down on the couch.

"I… uh…" Suddenly he was standing behind the couch.

"Maybe a simple massage will help you." He started massaging me on the shoulders and I felt really awkward. This was so strange, what are these people thinking!? We are supposed to be working together, oh but that massage is really good… WAIT! NO! That's stupid! I need someone besides me now before I do something stupid! I blinked on another couch, where Lucy and Erza were sitting. Lucy was busy with the dark haired dude, Ren was it? While Erza was dealing with Eve, the blond.

Suddenly Hibiki stood before us. "Well, you ladies must be exhausted. Feel free to spend the night…" The others joined him in his posing. Suddenly they all kneeled and extended an arm towards us. "We, don't mind!" They exclaimed in unison.

Lucy, Erza and I just stared at them, feeling really awkward about this whole situation. If you couldn't guess by our agape mouths and the sweat drop on our foreheads that is…

Another, much deeper voice rang from the staircase, taking our attention.

"Calm down men." He commanded, stopping in place. "Give these girls some breathing room." He struck a pose. My eyes widened at the all to familiar man in front of us. I could see that Erza recognized him as well. Who could forget an encounter with that guy!?

"Woah, that voice, it's silky smooth." Lucy felt uncomfortable.

"Yes, Ichiya, sir!" Ren exclaimed.

"Oh… no…" I huffed, feeling real terror that I don't feel even in battle.

"Him? Oh… dear…" Erza croaked with sweat on her forehead.

"It's been far too long miss Scarlet, Anora." The short man greeted, holding onto his blue rose that was attached to his white tuxedo.

"A long time… Yes." Erza trembled as we looked at him.

"I just hoped it would be longer…" I was shaking too.

"I never expected to see you here." Erza admitted.

Ichiya started gesturing. "Oh, how I've missed you, my sweet honey. But don't cry, I am here!"

"MY SWEET HONEY!?" Lucy and Happy yelled in unison.

Erza's mouth was agape. She was trembling in fear and she hid behind me.

"WOAH! She is shaking and is she hiding behind Anora?!" Lucy and Happy observed again.

"OH no! Nope! Nu-uh! NEVER again!" I shook my head vigorously as I pulled Erza from her hiding spot, from behind me and I put her in front of me. "You are dealing with this on your own! Last time I helped you with 'this slight problem'." I gestured inaccuracy. "I was scarred for life!" I stepped away from the scene as Ichiya approached Erza.

"A surprise!" Ichiya beamed as he was sliding down the rail of the staircase.

"A surprise!" The three Blue Pegasus' members let out confetti.

"A reunion!" Ichiya continued.

"A reunion!" The three boys confirmed.

They all chanted "Oh yes!" a bunch of times as Ichiya landed in front of Erza, who dared not move. I think that she was going through the option that if she didn't move it will think she is dead and move on.

The three boys kneeled towards the short man, clapping their hands. "We know that she was you girlfriend, mister Ichiya." Then they got up, turned towards us and bowed courteously.

"Please, forgive our rudeness."

"You know that that is NOT true!" She pointed towards him. "And even it was, you tried to cheat on someone with Anora!" Now she was pointing at me.

' _THANKS, FOR REMINDING ME OF THE FACT, I TRAINED FOR YEARS TO FORGET!'_ I didn't even want to think about what happened on that cruel night!

Suddenly Ichiya yelled at the three boys. "Idiots! We have work to do!" He commanded.

They quickly started cleaning up chanting "Right, boss" a few times.

"Boss, huh? I think that's like, the third thing, they've called him." Lucy pointed out.

"They are a bunch of mixed nuts!" Happy agreed.

"It seems that destiny has brought us together." Ichiya pointed at Erza. "Miss Erza!" Then to Lucy. "Miss Lucy!" He said passionately, then moving towards me. "Miss Anora!" And then he pointed towards Natsu and Gray who were probably wondering what was going on here for the past few minutes. "You two, not so much…"

Suddenly the short man started sniffing us. "Sniff, sniff! Sniff, sniff." His nose twitched. "Sweet pafum!" He struck a pose.

The three of us were disturbed to say the least. "He is creeping me out!" Lucy covered her body with her hands.

Erza looked at the ground. "Yeah, me too."

"Me three." I agreed.

"I'd never choose to be in his company." Erza stepped back. "However, he is a gifted wizard."

Gray decided to speak up now. "Listen up, you Blue Pegasus' playboy-wannabes. You'd be wise to keep your hands off these ladies! We clear?" He demanded. The Blue Pegasus representatives just glared at him.

"Clear as crystal." Ichiya spoke up. "Now take your leave." He said casually.

"Thanks for dropping by." The other three bowed.

Gray was ticked off. "We are here on some serious business ya know! Can you pretty boys even know how to fight?" Gray glared.

"Wanna find out?" Ren questioned. "Yeah, we are real tough pal!" Eve added.

"Fight!? Well, count me in!" Natsu joined in on the weird conversation.

"Everybody needs to calm down this instant." Erza walked in the middle of the room, addressing everyone. But she quickly dropped her statement as Ichiya went behind her.

"My honey~." Erza shivered. "Your sweet pafum, it still drives me crazy!" His nose twitched near her. "Ahaahhh…" He huffed in delight.

Erza punched him across the room. "YOU STAY FAR AWAY FROM ME!" She demanded.

"Nice right hook..." Lucy was startled.

Ichiya was sent flying toward the double door where a newcomer had just arrived. It was Lyon. The ice wizard Team Natsu had met on Galuna island when I was sick. Of course, I knew him and his friends from the anime but a few details from my friends weren't useless.

He froze Ichiya mid air and threw him right back at us. Afterward, the one called Sherry appeared beside him. As they came in everyone started going nuts and right about as a fight was about to break out a strong sound stopped us. It was the sound of a staff colliding with the ground. A huge man was standing at the entrance. He was Jura, one of the ten wizard saints. Apparently, those three were the representatives of Lamia Scale.

I knew that there was another person who we were waiting for and I was really excited to meet her.

Just as our group discussed who might the last person be and how strong will he be if he is the only representative of Kate Shelter, a small girl with long blue hair fell on the ground at the entrance, taking our attention. It was none other than Wendy Marvel! I loved her in the anime. She was just so adorable and innocent. It was hard not to like her.

But since no one else knew this they all had mixed feelings towards this predicament. They all thought she was too weak to be here with the exception of Jura, Erza and Ichiya who, my guess being, noticed the power coursing through her, as I had felt it.

Right behind her another, very small, white figure joined courteously. That was Carla, Wendy's exceed. Best part of her entrance was how Happy was looking at her. That also gave Lucy a sweet chance for revenge.

Everyone introduced themselves. The three boys from Blue Pegasus shamelessly used the same couch trick on Wendy.

After the whole clown fiesta was over, to my utmost delight, we finally got to the point of this whole meeting. Now we started discussing the Oracion Seis. Hibiki used his Archive magic to help us out in the briefing. He showed us the opponents that we would be facing and how to locate them. Of course, I knew about them. Being a main villain does make you memorable. On our mission, we would face Angle, Racer, Hoteye, Midnight, Brain and Cobra. I had to be wary of him. I knew very well that he was able to read thoughts. I found it a cool ability behind the screen but now I was terrified of someone finding out the truth about me without my consent.

The Blue Pegasus' representatives had also provided us with transportation. The Magic Bomber called Christina by Ichiya.

After we knew who, what, where and how, Natsu just straight up ran towards the destination.

"Let's go! I'm all fired up!" He burst through the doors without even thinking. "Time to hunt me some demons! Ready or not, here I come!" He shouted.

We tried to follow him but he was too fast. "Where do you think you are going?" Lucy yelled after him but to no avail. He was already gone.

"Always acting without a thought in his head…" Erza huffed.

"Somedays, I wonder about his mental health." Lucy mused.

"What do you guys wanna bet that he didn't even hear the plan?" Gray smirked.

"I bet five fish, he didn't!" Happy raised a paw.

"Well, what are we still doing here?" I asked. "Let's go!" And I was off after Natsu.

"Guess we are playing catch-up!" Gray agreed with me and joined in on the run.

"Do we have to?" Lucy moaned but she started running after us.

Erza caught up with me. "Come on everyone, double time!"

I, Erza and Gray were able to catch up to the pink-haired boy.

"There it is!" He exclaimed, not noticing us.

"Wait up, numb skull!" Gray shouted after him.

"Yeah, in your dreams!" Natsu argued.

"That's an order!" Erza demanded. "You can't rush into this one alone!"

He looked over his shoulder at Erza with a big grin. "What's the matter? Are you afraid that I actually might show you off this time?"

"Say WHAT!?" I just imagined Erza being all 'Annihilation mode engage' in her head. "STOP MOVING YOUR FEET RIGHT NOW OR FACE THE CONCEQUENSES!" That gave me a scare and it wasn't even pointed at me…

Natsu turned around to look at the menacing red haired girl and he didn't notice the end of the cliff to where he was charging.

"Look…" He fell. "…Out…" Well, I tried. I huffed in annoyance. I didn't stop my chase and I jumped right after him.

"I'll get em!" I yelled as I plunged after Natsu's screaming form. I put my hands and feet near one another so that I could plummet faster towards him. I reached him right before we got to the trees and I caught him.

"Gotcha!" Right as we were about to crash to the ground I swiped at the ground beneath us with my right hand as I held the boy with my left one.

Suddenly, purplish chains sprung out and caught us before we crashed. I ordered them to put us down, safely on the ground.

"Gee thanks for the save!" He gave me a thumbs up.

"Ok, let's just wait for the others here." I suggested, waving a finger to get my point across. Before I could even finish my thought he was already running towards the pointed destination.

I was irritated but I followed him. It was better than him going alone.

"At least wait for me!" I yelled as I caught up with him.

"Aw, come on Anora, you haven't lost shape, have you?" I asked in a teasing smirk as we ran through the forest that we landed in.

I scoffed dramatically. "Oh, I'm gonna make you it those words. Let's give em some dirt to taste better!" I sped forward past him.

"Hey, no fair!" He yelled as he caught up. Suddenly I caught a strong scent in the air, that wasn't good at all.

"Hey, can you smell that?" I asked him, knowing full well that he was probably already thinking about it.

"Yeah… This forest smells kinda funky." He answered.

By the time we got to a barren place the others had caught up with us.

"You've finally caught up!" Natsu teased them.

"You're one sturdy freak, ya know that?" Gray countered. In that moment, a towering shadow crept on us. We looked towards the sky to see what was casting it.

To our surprise, it was the Magic Bomber. It was astonishing. It was flying just above us, going towards our destination… WHEN IT BLEW UP?! That startled everyone. We all tensed at the seams.

Wendy, Carla, Happy, Lucy and the three boys from Pegasus caught up to us as well as Christina was plummeting towards the ground. We all watched in horror as the magical transport exploded as it collided with the ground.

"This doesn't bold well." Lyon commented.

We all knew that we had company. I and Natsu were able to smell their scent but even without that, you could feel the sheer amount of magical energy reeking from the explosion. As the smoke cleared, out came six figures.

"Lowly maggots, swarming together." Brain spat.

"I'm afraid short stuff isn't going to make it to the party." Angle waved a finger around as Gemini floated around her.

"And neither is that wizard saint." Gemi started. "We took him down!" Mini finished.

"They are defeated?" Lyon voiced our shock.

"Impossible!" Hibiki thought out loud.

Cobra smirked knowingly. "There is terror in their voices. I can hear it."

"The quicker we wrap this up the better." Racer pointed out. "I'll run you over so fast it'll make your head spin." He threatened.

"Money determines strength in this world. Oh, yeah!" Hoteye commented. "If you save but a penny today, it shall become a vast fortune in the future. Furthermore…"

"Enough with the preaching Hoteye." Cobra and Racer said in unison.

"Is it sad that I'm terrified by the snoring guy?" Lucy asked, looking towards Midnight.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect you'd show yourselves." Erza pointed out.

The air got heavy as the tension rose. Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Ready?" He asked with a grin.

"You bet!" Gray confirmed.

"Always." I formed a light in my fist.

Cobra smirked at us. "Want an invitation?"

"You being here is enough for us!" Gray and Natsu lunged towards him. Before I could stop them, Racer kicked them to the ground.

"Natsu! Gray!" The two Lucy's screamed in unison. WAIT! Two Lucy's?!

They both looked at each other. One of them got her whip out and started attacking the other. "Surprise!"

"Why am I whipping myself?! What's going on!" The other Lucy screamed. That must be Gemini.

Sherry and Lyon took on Hoteye while the three boys from Blue Pegasus were defeated by Racer.

I and Erza charged towards Cobra.

Erza used her magic mid jump towards Cobra. "Re-equip!' She came out in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Dance my swords!" She commanded, pointing at Cobra with one of her blades in hand. The other ones that were floating around her obeyed.

" **Piercing Rain!"** She yelled and all the swords flung towards Cobra. He dodged all of them with one step.

"No! He dodged them all. Can he read my attacks?!" She was cut out by Racer who tried to strike at her from behind. While she was preoccupied I lunged at Cobra.

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** I lunged at him.

"Pfft, I can hear your thoughts! That won't work." He smirked as he dodged flawlessly all of my swings. Then he kicked me to the ground. Afterward, he helped out Racer and he sent Erza, who was now in her flight armor, flying at my general direction as well. Just as I was about to get up, Erza's body hit me, sending me to the ground again.

She helped me up. The two of us now faced Racer and Cobra.

"You are confused? Having trouble figuring it out? I told you, I hear everything!" Cobra boasted.

Racer left our battle to fight Natsu and Erza and I lunged towards Cobra. The red headed warrior tried to abuse her fast speed while I used my ethereal claws to try and help her out. It was futile, though, Cobra wasn't breaking a sweat, evading our attacks.

Suddenly the ground beneath us lifted me and Erza into the air.

"I saw that, oh yes!" Hoteye remarked as he controlled the ground beneath us. Racer suddenly appeared before us and kicked us even further into the air. "Cobra! Pick up the pace, will ya?"

Irritated by his comment Cobra sent his snake at us. "Cubellios!" He pointed at us. The large, magical, purple snake around him lunged towards our airborne forms. We couldn't do anything to stop it. The huge serpent bit into Erza's shoulder, lifting her into the air while I fell to the ground.

"Erza!" I yelled desperately as the snake let her go and she fell to the ground.

"You may be fast but that won't save you from Cubellios' poison!" Cobra smirked at Erza's limp body. "Enjoy riding in agony until death claims you." His eyes widened at his own words.

I looked around, I was the only one standing and I was faced with all six members of the Oracion Seis. I could not fall now. If I let that happen everyone here will die. I stood up, shaking the pain from my fall. I looked towards the members at the dark guild determined.

' _I can't afford to lose this fight."_ From all the fighting around me, I had enough arcania to hold on my own against these creeps.

Brain looked at me with an impressed look. "Finish the deal." He commanded to the others around him.

In an instant, Racer was next to me but to his surprise I blocked the attack. He retreated, giving some space between us. "Huh, impressive."

I shook off his comment as I concentrated on the fight at hand. Suddenly the ground beneath me shifted and it turned to quicksand. My feet started to sink as I looked towards Hoteye.

"You may be fast but you can't escape from my prison, oh yes." He commented.

I gritted my teeth. I blinked behind the big guy and hit him square in the face, pushing him back a bit.

I felt Racer's scent behind me and I turned around swiping my arm before he even got near me.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chain."** Purplish chains burst out from the ground, ensnaring Racer in them. He was shocked.

"What the?! How…" Before he could even finish, I sent him flying with another attack.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast."** Since I was near him, the twin, dancing lights collided with him momentarily, sending him flying across the plain earth.

I turned around swiftly as I felt another presence approaching me. Just as I turned I saw the cocky grin of Cobra who had lunged towards me, hitting me straight in the face. I flew into the air but I quickly regained my composure, doing a backflip into the air and landing safely on the ground.

"You may be tough, but you won't be able to stop me! I can hear your every thought." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Let's test that theory!" I swiped my arm to the right and then to the left.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains."** I yelled and from both his sides came out purplish chains burst from the ground on his left and right, he dodged backwards.

" **Arcane Dragon Spectacle!"** I crossed my hands in an 'X' formation and instantly released, sending hundred or so purple and blue arrows at him. The chains from before had created a barrier between me and him and the arrows were coming from behind him. I was leading him into my trap.

His eyes widened as he read my thoughts.

' _Let's see what good it does you when you know my attack but you can't dodge it."_

" **Arcane Dragon Grand Impact."** Since the way towards me was blocked, arrows coming from behind him, he could only dodge to the left or to the right. Reading my thoughts that I was planning to bombard his left he decided to go right. He went for it even though he knew he couldn't dodge it.

" **Swift Strike!"** I extended my right arm towards the magical circle on his left side. It vanished in a white light and it reappeared right under Cobra. It exploded into a purple and blue light and it sent him flying in the air. Having anticipated this, he had prepared for the attack and it didn't have a huge affect on him. He landed safely on the ground.

Suddenly I saw the earth shift around me. It had created two giant walls around me and in an instant, they flung towards me. My eyes widened as I realized I was about to get squashed. I mustered all the arcania I could and blinked out of harms way. Now I was getting exhausted. I'm using too many attacks too fast, but I can't give up!

I looked towards Hoteye.

"You are a fast one, oh yeah! But I'm still going to crush you, oh yes! He threatened.

I took a stance as I gathered all the arcania in the air, leaving no for afterward. More would be created later, for now, I needed all the power I could get.

" **Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Arcania's Wrath: Dance of the Arcane Dragon."** As I was moving my hands gracefully around my body more of the earth shifted around me. A huge pile of mud was shot towards me. I could feel it trough the ethernanos even though I was with closed eyes. In an instant, I opened them, making the area around us glow in a purple hue.

One thought lingered in my mind. _'Obey!'_

I swung my arm towards the general direction of the mud projectile a purplish slash of solidified ethernanos cutting right through it, then I swiped at Hoteye multiple times, sending wave after wave of ethernanos that crashed into him, knocking him on the ground.

I fell on my knees as all of my magical power was being spent on this one battle, but I had not time to celebrate as Cobra was now closing in on me.

"You got lucky back there, you won't hit me again!" He spat angrily as he charged at me.

With what little power I had I stood up and went on for a physical battle seeing as how Cobra wasn't using any abilities.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Claws"** As the words left my mouth, purplish claws formed around my fingers. Cobra swung a fist at me.

I blocked it and then I started swinging left and right trying to do something I wasn't thinking about but he dodged it all. He grabbed my hands at one attack and he held me in a lock.

"I can hear it all ya know! It's like a symphony." He had his cocky smirk back. "Your muscles contracting, every breath that you take in." He drew closer to my face. "And all your thoughts." He narrowed his eyes at me.

At this point, I was searching for an answer on how to beat him through my memories of the anime but then I realized that I can't show him that.

' _NO! Don't think about that. He can't find out.'_

"Oh? And what is this that I can't find out?" He used more force on my wrists, adopting a menacing smirk.

' _Get out of my head Erik!'_ If he wanted to find something interesting in my mind then I shall deliver.

He let go of me as he stepped back in shock. His eyes wide in shock, terror and curiosity. "How... how do you know my name?!" He asked, stupified.

 _'He's open!'_ I didn't hesitate to use the opportunity in front of me.

"Gotcha!" I landed a right hook to his face while he was distracted. He was sent flying to the others who weren't taking part in the action. Angle, Brain and Midnight. Their leader, Brain actually had a huge smile on his face. Before I could comprehend what was going on thought I felt pain to my abdomen. I blinked and Racer was in front of me, his leg to my stomach.

"It's not fun when you are the one flying, is it?" He spat as I was thrown into the air. Not being prepared, I couldn't act in time and I crashed to the ground. Cobra had already gotten up and he sent his damn serpent after me. The huge purple snake closed in on me, baring it's four fangs out, poison dripping from them. While I was still on the ground I extended my hands to the side.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter."** A purplish, see-through shield formed around me. The serpent didn't stop though to my total surprise. It bashed it's head to the shield and shockingly it broke it to tiny little pieces. I couldn't even comprehend what had happened when I felt the snake sink it's teeth into my shoulder, right next to my neck.

I screamed in pain as I felt a burning feeling coursing through me. It was like I was being stabbed by knives all around my body. But at part where the snake had bitten me it was like the blade breaking my flesh was covered in flames. The pain was excruciating. I didn't even notice that the huge purple serpent had thrown me next to Cobra.

"Pft, for all your power, you are still weak. Cubellios' poison is fatal and since it's close to your heart it will take effect faster. Enjoy your last agonizing moments." He had a wild smirk on his face but I couldn't care less. I could feel the burning sensation moving towards my heart. With all the pain I was feeling I couldn't help it and I feigned. The last thing I heard was my friends calling out to me in panic.

* * *

I felt pain again. A burning feeling coursing through my whole being, but… It was fading away. The pain was subsiding. I tried to move but I couldn't. My eyes felt so heavy I actually thought I was buried in the ground. I could only twitch them.

"SHE'S OK!" What must have been Happy, Natsu and Lucy screamed in unison. I tried to speak up but I couldn't. I was feeling so weak. My mind was getting all fuzzy again and it was hard to think.

"Gim… fiv…" I could barely hear the words. "I'… s… ppy…" Everything died down again as I plunged into darkness once more.

* * *

The next time I felt the grip of the real world I was no longer feeling nor pain nor fatigue. It was like I just got up from a good night's rest. The only problem was that I was alone. I was lying behind a rock and there wasn't a single trace of another human being. I also noticed that the snake bite was gone from my neck. I guess I had Wendy to thank.

I got up and dusted myself as I looked around.

' _Great. Now I have no clue where to go.'_ Suddenly I noticed a huge pillar of white and dark light going up in the air. Around it, large, shadow tentacles were touching the area around the pillar.

' _I guess that's probably where the action is.'_ I speculated and then I was off towards the huge mass of light.

While I was running towards my destination, I noticed that the light pillar slowly disappeared. Suddenly the ground shook and I stopped dead in my tracks.I looked up, towards the pillar and to my utter shock, I saw a huge building rising. It had six bendable pillars as legs and a huge, round base in the center that connected the pillars. On that base, what looked like to be an ancient city, lay. Honestly, it looked like a giant spider. I got close to one of the pillars and I decided that climbing it would be dangerous so, instead, I blinked right at then end. As I materialized on top of the massive construction, I entered the ancient city. Looking around I saw traces of battle. There were even explosions going in the background so I guess someone was fighting here.

I ran towards the source of this commotion when a flash of red caught my eye as I was running. I stopped in my tracks. "Erza?" I saw her form.

"Anora, you're ok!" She exclaimed as I ran towards her.

"Yeah, I got up and I deci…" The words died on my lips as, the one and only, Jellal made his appearance from behind Erza. I took a step back in shock.

"Anora, I can explain! Just hear me out!" Erza extended an arm towards me.

I was having none of that. I didn't listen to reason. I swiped her arm away from me.

"Explain what exactly?! That you are now, best friends with the one who killed my brother!? Oh, this is just rich!" I felt a dark presence rise within me. It was like it was gripping at my very soul. The rage in me was doubling and I just wanted to pound the man before me to death.

"He doesn't remember! He was possessed back then. That was not the real Jellal!" She tried to defend him and he just looked down at the ground.

"He looked very real to me back then! He looked very real in my nightmares! And he most certainly looks very real right now! Not remembering doesn't make him innocent!" I looked down so that my hair can cover my eyes. "Erza. Get. Out. Of. My. Way." I formed a purplish light in my hand.

' _He made me break one promise already, why should I care if I break another one?'_ I walked slowly, feeling satisfaction at the terror in the eyes of Erza and Jellal.

Erza took a stance to protect the blue-haired man. "Anora, I can't let you touch him!" She spread her arms in a defiant way. "If you want him, you'd have to get through me first."

 **Erza**

' _Anora is a passionate person and a stubborn one at that. She might give in to her feelings for revenge but she would never harm a friend for it."_ I speculated as I stood in her way with spread arms. Jellal was not saying anything from behind me.

After I told her that she would have to go through me, she stopped dead in her tracks, with her hair, shadowing her eyes. I knew that she would pull through her anger…

"So, be it." My eyes widened. I looked towards her as she lunged towards me with two purplish swords.

I jumped back. She started swinging the swords at me and I simply dodged. Right as she was about to strike me I pulled out two swords with my magic and blocked her two. We locked blades and looked at each other. I was shocked when I saw her eyes. They were their usual green color but they had a sinister glow to them, as if she was being possessed.

"Anora, I don't want to hurt you!" I warned her.

"Too bad, you made it perfectly clear that I have to hurt _you_ to get to Jellal!" My eyes widened at her words as she pushed me away from the lock. Was that really the carefree, happy, lovable girl who like to tease everyone?

She charged at me with a menacing look on her face, answering my inner dilemma. This was not the Anora I knew. Something was definitely wrong here. I had to get through to her.

" **Re-equip: Flight Armor!"** My armor transformed. This one gave me enhanced speed and agility. It was my best bet at evading her attacks without trying to fight her.

I blocked off her attacks as she got near me and then I started circling around her with immense speed, trying to confuse her.

She stopped in the center as I circled around her, looking at the ground. Suddenly she swiped her hand at me.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains."** Purplish chains burst from the ground from the path in front of me and they lunged at my form. I was not prepared for her to know where I was so I didn't evade in time. The chains clung to me, squeezing the life out of me.

Anora held her hand up in the air at me, mimicking a grip as the chains continued to squeeze harder.

" **Re-equip: Black Wing Armor."** I changed my attire to the offense enhancing armor. That gave me enough strength to break the chains that were holding me down. I flew up in the air, gripping my sword.

"Anora, stop doing this!" I yelled at her. "This isn't you! Revenge will get you to nowhere!"

Jellal suddenly stepped between me and Anora. He spread his hands protectively as I had done for him. "Stop! If you wish to take my life then so be it, but do not harm Erza!" He told her. She adopted a smirk as she walked towards him.

"Look at you… Playing the hero…" She walked slowly towards him. "How ironic… What were your words again for people playing the hero? Oh that's right 'What a perfectly foolish thing to do!'" Anora spat in anger as she created a purplish see-through blade in her hand.

Jellal kneeled as she approached him. I couldn't comprehend what was happening.

"No! I told you! You can't die like this! You have to atone for your sins." He looked up at me. Anora just continued to walk slowly towards him. I had to act.

" **Re-equip: Heaven's Wheel Armor."** I summoned around twenty swords and I threw them at Anora's approaching form. She jumped back as the blades hit the ground in front of her. That gave me enough time to get between her and Jellal.

"Stop this! Killing him now will achieve nothing! If he can't even remember his own wrongdoings, then he will never have the chance to own up to his guilt." She paid no heed to my words as she started slowly walking towards me expressionless.

"Think! Is this what your brother would have wanted you to do?" I yelled at her and it seemed that did the trick, she stopped.

 **Anora**

I continued walking towards Erza, past the blades she threw at me even after what she told me. The rage within me was taking over. All I could feel was anger. Pure, unadulterated rage. Was this really what was inside of me?

"Think! Is this what your brother would have wanted you to do?" She yelled at me and I stopped dead in my tracks. That was like a slap to the face. Was that really what he would want for me to do? To get revenge? Do I really want to take this man's life for the mere purpose of revenge?

My head was starting to clear and I felt the dark grip over my soul get less intense. I felt a mild headache as I felt it disappear fully.

"I… no…" I dropped to my knees as I huffed in exhaustion. Erza seemed to relax at that. What was I about to do?! Not only was I about to kill a person but I was going to kill off a main character who I knew was good, deep down. And...and I was enjoying it?! Erza re-equipped in her normal armor and she rushed near me and hugged me affectionately while I was kneeling on the ground.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know… what came over me." I cried lightly on her shoulder.

"Shh… It's ok." She assured me as she stroked my hair. "It wasn't your fault."

"But… It was! I was the one that almost did that… I felt so angry, so exposed. I just wanted that feeling to go away…" I told her. Her grip around my tightened but she didn't say anything. She just let me be.

Jellal walked up to us.

"I am truly sorry for all the pain that I have caused you in the past. I know that this doesn't make up for what I have done even if I do not remember what it is, but... I'm sorry. Please tell me how I can make amends." The man spoke, looking at the ground.

I looked up at him as I got away from Erza. Then I looked at the red headed girl in front of me and she nodded with a smile.

I stood up and face Jellal. I took a big breath as I tried to calm down. The tears that I was shedding had now stopped. "You can never make amends for what you did, Jellal." I stated in a low voice. He lowered his head. "But… I also know that it wasn't quite you who was pulling the strings. I-I'm willing…" I was fighting with myself to get the words out. "I'm willing to put the past behind me."

Jellal looked up into my eyes with what seemed like confusion, hope and a bit of gratitude. "Don't get me wrong!" I almost shouted at his look. "I haven't forgiven 'the old you' and I don't know if I ever will. But I'm willing to give 'the real you' a chance…" Now was my turn to stare at the ground, which now was the most interesting thing for me.

"Thank you…" Was his short reply. I felt Erza's arm on my shoulder and when I looked at her, she nodded in approval. I smiled lightly at her, wiping the last tear on my face. Suddenly our little moment was broken when a huge explosion shook the ground.

We all looked at the direction of the shockwave that followed.

"What was that explosion?" Erza asked as she looked at the leftover smoke that was rising in the, now, night sky.

"It was near the throne." Jellal pointed out.

"Father can be so selfish sometimes." I dark, male voice was heard behind us. We all turned our attention to him. To our surprise, Midnight was standing behind us.

"He took a big bite out of my fun and left me with measly scraps!" He stated calmly as he started to walk slowly towards us. "Now, since you are the last of my pray, at least make it entertaining for me."

Erza tried to move in, to attack and so did I, but Jellal spread his hands in front of us to stop us.

"Stand back, he's mine!" The blue-haired man inquired as Midnight continued his slow walk towards us.

"Jellal, you can't." Erza warned him. Midnight narrowed his eyes at Jellal as stopped not far away from us.

Hesitantly, Jellal let out a yellow bolt of energy towards Midnight. The guy didn't even move. The projectile on the other hand just went around him.

"How can I miss him at such close range?" Jellal was shocked.

"I presume that's his power." I observed, having forgotten his powers from the show.

I noticed that Jellal received a small migraine after that attack. He must have used most of his magic before I came. He didn't give up, though. He shook off the pain and stepped forward, towards Midnight.

"Please, stop this. You are in no condition to fight him." Erza pleaded. "Let me and Anora do it." She inquired. Jellal stopped her though. For some reason he wanted to face off Midnight on his own.

So Erza just nodded and stayed back. I did so too, just observing what was about to unfold.

"Well, I'm waiting." Midnight taunted.

To his invitation, Jellal replied with a barrage of yellow energy bolts. The same thing happened. Midnight just stood in one place and the bolts flew around him, leaving him without a scratch.

Jellal groaned in pain as he finished his attack but he stood tall. With a single swipe from Midnight, he was sent flying into the air. When he fall, he no longer had the strength to stand up.

"This is boring." Midnight commented with a hand behind his head. "You're the fearsome Jellal, I keep hearing about?" He looked at Jellal's twitching body on the ground, over his shoulder. "Talk about a waste of time."

Midnight then looked at us. Erza was in shock over what had happened to Jellal. As much as I disliked the person, I tried to forgive him… Not just for me, but for Erza as well. I knew that she cared for him, in a 'more than a friend' manner.

The cruel teenager looked Jellal over his shoulder again. "Did you lose your memory and forget how to use magic too? How pathetic." He mocked and then he stepped forward towards us. Jellal attempted to stand up but it was futile. He was too weak. The only thing he succeeded in was taking Midnight's attention again.

The edgy teenager chuckled darkly as he put his hands on his hips. "At least you're determined. What a nice surprise… I'm looking forward just how much pain you can endure."

Erza had enough and she charged at him with her blade. It passed right through him.

"If Erza Scarlet is that eager to have her turn then who am I to keep her waiting." She jumped back next to me. "My sword didn't even hit him."

"No! You mustn't take your chance against him. He is too powerful!" Jellal warned us.

Step down a fight? I would have none of that. "My turn!" I slammed my hands together.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast."** The dancing lights formed move with immense speed towards him but the circled around him as they came close to him and instead exploded into a nearby rock.

Erza charged at him again, this time wielding two swords. She landed a few strikes but they just passed through him, or rather around him.

He swiped a hand at her and she was pushed back. The armor around her started to wrap her up.

"Erza!" I yelled in desperation. "What is this?" Erza questioned as her own armor tried to strangle her.

"Why you!" I threatened as I swiped a hand at his general direction.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains!"** I yelled and the chains that burst out of the ground near Midnight obeyed my commands. They tried to capture him but he moved to dodge them. Odd, why didn't he do that thing where things couldn't hit him? I had an idea.

I spread my arms to the sides. **"Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle."** Just like that, small magical circles appeared before each chain that was flying towards Midnight. As they passed through, the chains split into to more and I could feel them becoming denser. I flew around him, trying to ensnare them, but he used his magic and they just flew past him. But to my surprise, Erza's armor was not trying to strangle her anymore. She looked surprised as well. She quickly shook it off as she re-equipped into her 'Heaven's Wheel Armor'.

"Now I get it, you use Reflector Magic!" She stated.

"Yes. And whatever kind of attack you throw at me, I will be able to twist and manipulate all of it." He boasted. "Besides giving me a flawless defense, my magic allows me to dominate my opponents. Even light itself bends to my will!"

"Can such a power truly exist?" Jellal mused from the ground as he struggled to talk from the pain he was experiencing.

"Every opponent has their flaws, you are no different!" Erza pointed out and I think I found out what his weakness was. I stood at the side and observed as Erza lunged towards him.

"I will be your end!" And with that, she charged at him.

"That's it, rush towards your doom!" Midnight adopted a crazed look. "I can't wait to see your face as I twist your body apart."

Midway to him she stopped and pointed at him with the two swords in her hand. "Now, dance my swords!" As the words left her mouth, multiple swords materialized around her and they all flung towards Midnight.

"You can throw a thousand but you still won't hit me." The man stated without moving. Every single sword bounced off of him and they shot towards Erza instead.

I blinked in front of her and spread my hands out to support the spell I was casting.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter."** The purplish shield surrounded us, defending our forms from the onslaught of blades that were slamming against the shield.

"So tell me… How does it fell to fend off one of your own attacks?" He mocked us. With each sword, the shield cracked more and more but in the end, it was enough to stop them all.

He swiped an arm at us as I removed the shield. The clothes around us wrapped us up. Erza's heavy armor was squeezing her and she was screaming in pain. I was luckier since the dress Inoreth gave me was made from dragon scales. It was imbued with magic, making it really tough, but it was also quite elastic.

"That's better, now sooth me with the lullaby of torment and misery!" Midnight laughed maniacally. "Nothing wets my appetite like tortured screams!" He licked his lips at Erza's screams. I would have none of that and apparently so did Erza.

She had one sword in hand and she threw it at him and I just used my magic.

" **Arcane Dragon Grand Impact."** I managed to force my hands together and point at him. A magical circle appeared beneath him and he looked in shock. Just as I expected he dodged the sword, flying towards him and he also sidestepped my explosion.

"Impressive, but futile." He swiped his hand towards us again.

" **Spiral Pain."** My eyes widened as the air around us started to circle like a tornado. Thanks to the elastic properties of my dress I was able to break free from it's wrappings around me and I jumped towards Erza, hugging her form as the winds around us started to slash at our skin.

" **Arcane Dragon Guardian Wings."** I yelled desperately and two giant, ethereal, draconic wings engulfed us. They protected us from the winds that had lifted us into the air. As the dense air subsided we were slammed to the ground and my protective spell dissipated, leaving us bruised on the ground.

I hadn't cast it in time and our wounds were severe. I saw that Erza was partially unconscious and I was about to be. My vision was blurry and I couldn't get up even with all the arcania in the air.

"No, girls!" Jellal, looked with horror at us. I could only observe what was about to happen as I tried to gather my strength. If only I had a few minutes I could be back in action but I doubt that Midnight is just gonna leave us here.

"Finished already?" He mocked us as he stood towering above our fallen bodies. I didn't say anything to satisfy him. Thankfully Jellal tried to take his attention away from us.

"Curse you…" He huffed as he was able to get on his knees.

"You can't die on me yet, I still wanna play." He ignored the blue haired man. "I need entertainment! At least until we reach Kate Shelter." He said to us manically.

"What is this, Kate Shelter?"

"It's our first target of course." Midnight answered casually.

"And what earned them that honor?"

Midnight looked at Jellal over his shoulder. "An excellent question." He walked over to him. He explained how the Nirvits were the people that created Nirvana and how Cait Shelter was built from their descendants, therefore they are the only ones with the power to seal Nirvana again, so they had to be eliminated.

"Heartless monster!" Jellal spat at his maniacally passionate explanation of how they would use Nirvana to destroy them all.

Midnight was not amused by his 'good guy' act, though. He went in great detail to tell Jellal what his sins were and how Midnight's soul shined next to his blackened one. In the end, he even offered Jellal to become the new member of the Oracion Seis.

I felt Erza stirring awake midway to Midnight's speech. I could feel her anger bubbling inside. Thanks to Jellal's little distraction I was able to collect myself and now I had the strength to stand again. I helped Erza up as I put her hand over my shoulder. When she was up, she let go. Our little stand up, got the two men's attention.

"Don't listen to him!" Erza demanded, re-equipping into her Robe of Yūen. "The light inside you is brighter than ever before!" She pointed out.

I prepared for battle myself.

"Wow… I'm surprised you two can stand." Midnight stepped a few steps towards us calmly. "I get my real fight after all. Wonderful!" He adopted that crazed look of his. "Destroying you will be a treat!"

Erza pointed at him with her spear that came with her armor. "I swear upon the sacred blade I wield, I will end this chaos. End your life!" She threatened and Midnight just looked at her with pure, maniacal ecstasy.

A light grew in my hand. "You are never going to harm another person again." I prepared a stance.

"Come on! I wanna see your strength with my own two eyes." He taunted. "But I won't feel it, cus if you think you can land a single hit on me, you must be dreaming." He said with a smug smile.

"You don't stand a chance against his Reflector Magic. You saw what it's capable of. He can turn your own attack against you in an instant."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." I said, my eyes never leaving Midnight. Erza prepared her weapon.

"Ready?" I said standing right next to her.

"Ready!" We both charged at him at the same time. She was wielding her spear blade and I was wielding my twin ethereal swords.

We both swung at him with maddening speed, but it all flew past him, destroying the buildings behind him.

"So fast..." Jellal said, astonished.

"You can be the fastest person whose ever lived but you would still never break through my reflector." He boasted, standing in one spot, leaving him open to a direct attack.

We swung at him again, this time getting closer to him. It seemed like both I and Erza had the same idea. The second attack also missed him.

"It's useless." He mocked, but at this point, we were so close to him. Just like that Erza punched him with her palm right in the chest and sent him flying across the air to his total shock.

Seeing this as my queue, I blinked on top of him as he was flying midair and I kicked him, sending him flying to the ground. The impact he made with the ground was so strong that he created a small crater. He shook it off as he looked at us in shock. I walked back next to Erza and we both glared at him.

"No! You hit me!" He was stupefied.

"There are two!" Erza signed the number two with her fingers at him. "Two crucial weaknesses in your defense magic." Midnight's eyes widened at her statement.

"Firstly." I joined in on the explanation. "You may be able to bend all things unloving, but when it comes to living beings, you cannot use your abilities. Otherwise, you would have done that instead of trying to strangle us with our clothes, isn't that right?"

He stood up from his fall. "Maybe, but why would it matter?" He looked irritated as he swiped his hand at us and our clothes wrapped up around us again. This time, it looked like Erza had chosen an elastic attire as well, making his attack useless as it was on me.

"I can use all those lovely clothes you wear to squeeze until you pop!" He sneered. "As fast or slowly as I want." He added darkly.

"So that's one weakness." Erza continued our explanation. "One more." She looked above Midnight and his attention was drawn there as well. Dozens of swords appeared right above him, ready to strike.

"Erza, what are you doing? No matter how many swords you throw, you won't be able to hit him." Jellal was confused.

On the other hand, Midnight looked outright terrified. The swords started raining down upon him and he screamed in agony as a few of them grazed him. He fell on the ground, surrounded by the numerous blades.

"While you twisted my armor and Anora's robe earlier, you dodged my sword and then you sidestepped Anora's explosion. Why didn't you bend the attacks instead?" She asked rhetorically. Midnight lifted his head to look at us, annoyed.

"It's because you're only able to control one space at a time." She answered her own question. "Either the space surrounding your enemy or yourself, but not both at once. So while your bending spell is active on us, you are practically defenseless. Completely unable to deploy your Reflector Magic to repel an attack that's coming right for you." She pointed out.

"What's more, the robe Erza is wearing right now and my own are very elastic, thus making them immune to your spell." The both of us untangled the robes that were wrapped around us.

Erza smiled cockily at him. "I suppose you could consider this a third weakness."

Midnight started pounding his fists on the ground like a child who just lost a game. "No! It's too late!" He yelled.

"Yes, you're right about that! This battle has reached its end." Erza said with a smug grin but the boy just laughed darkly.

"That's not what I meant!" He perked up. "Too late for you…" He elaborated. "You've should have let me beat you before midnight before you saw the true face of terror. You missed your only chance to rest in peace."

Ok, that sounded creepy. Both I and Erza tensed at his words. An ominous bell announced midnight.

"What's that?" Erza asked.

"Sounds like a bell." Jellal answered.

"How convenient…" I commented.

"Tolling the midnight hour…" The teenager stood up. Suddenly a huge magical circle appeared above him and he was transformed into a huge, demonic looking beast.

"That's right! When the clock strikes midnight, my powers reach their terrifying peak!" He boasted. He towered over us as he laughed.

"You could have prevented this from happening!" I and Erza lunged at him but he threw an energy ball at us. It hit us and the impact from it sent us flying across the area. Where did all that power come from?!

When I stood up from the impact I saw how Midnight ate Jellal! He firkin ate him! He then started to torment Erza, as he animated visions of the people that died from her past. As she striked at them, she failed to notice that one of them was actually Jellal. Using this as a distraction he tried to hit her but I blinked in to intercept.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter!"** I expanded my hands to the sides and the purplish shield engulfed us, but it was no use. My eyes widened as Midnight broke it without a sweat. He swatted me away after that and I fell on the ground, not able to move from the sheer force of that blow.

"Anora!" Erza screamed at me.

"You annoying pest! It's time you sleep your eternal rest." My eyes widened as he turned towards me and extended his hand. Erza was standing there in shock. She tried desperately to stop him but more dead figures stopped her. She couldn't stop Midnight from casting his devastating spell.

" **Eternal Nightmare."** He said and a black tendril shot from his arm towards me. I watched with shock as I saw it coming towards me and a few moments later I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. My hearing started to fade and my vision blurred. I felt a cold feeling engulf me and I embraced it, not having the will to fight anymore. I was just so very… exhausted all of a sudden. The last thing I could hear was my name being screamed in desperation by a woman and a man's voice.

* * *

This was not what happened usually when I was unconscious. I was standing in the middle of a dark plain. For some reason, it felt familiar. Like I have already been here. And then it hit me.

' _No,no,no,no,no,no,no,NO,NO,NO,NO! NO! This can't be happening. Did I die again!?_ I thought frantically, looking around for some way to go back. I noticed I was still in my dress from Inoreth so maybe I was just in some other place or this was just a dream! Yes, just a bad dream! I would just wake up and everything will be fine. I started to panic as I saw nothing apart from the endless void that was all around me.

Suddenly, a gentle violet and blue light, covered in a white hue shone in front of me. It felt so warm, so peaceful. It was beckoning me to go to it. I didn't hesitate. I started running towards it, surprised how I was even able to walk in this place. As I reached it, the light engulfed my whole being and in a flash of light, I was now lying in a hospital bed.

I looked around. I noticed that some tubes were attached to my body and that I was in a hospital attire for patients. The most shocking features were the computer that was monitoring my vitals next to me and the high tech equipment all around me. I detached the tubes from my body and as I stood up from the bed I noticed a mirror on one of the cupboards next to me. It was one of those pocket mirrors with a handle and all.

I picked it up and put it in front of my face and with utter shock realized the gravity of the situation.

In the mirror was a reflection I had long since forgotten. A reflection that felt so strange from what I was used to for the past eighteen years. A reflection that was dead for eighteen years now.

And just like that, my world was shattered as I realized that I was back on Earth…

 **A/N: Huhuhuhuhue… I just love it when everyone is just "Ohhhhh, dang, so now what?" and I be like "…We'll find out, in the next chapter!". On the other hand, I just wrote 12000 words, so you can't judge me for being malicious…**

 **Ok, all teasing aside, I'm really excited for the next chapter. I've been planning it longer than 'Draco's encounter'. I won't post till I know it's perfect! All I'm going to say is that we are now entering an original arc called "Broken World".**

 **Also, Yay! We finally reached 100 000 words! When did this fic become so big? O.o I remember writing chapter 1 like it was yesterday. Holy moly... I need to sit down. I just wanted to thank you guys for sticking around for this long. I hope that you enjoyed every bit of the journey thus far and that you will continue to enjoy it in the future. ^^**

 **See ya all in the next chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21: Confusion

**A/N: Ok, so amma just warn you now, this chapter contains cursing. Just so you guys know… Also, I have never been to a hospital for an emergency case (Thank the Lord) and I don't know what the procedures are so in this chapter it's going to be me, mostly improvising.**

 **Ok, enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Twenty One

Confusion

I explored the whole of my old face with my free hand in front of the mirror. How was I here? I died. This cannot be possible. I searched through my mind what had happened. I was fighting alongside Erza and Jellal versus Midnight and then he turned into some kind of a beast and then… he shot a spell at me and I couldn't dodge in time… Did I die again!? But then why didn't I see that being again and what was that violet light? Everything was all very confusing…

I put the mirror down and looked around. I saw a letter on the cupboard where the mirror was. I hadn't noticed it before. On top of it, it wrote 'Lili'. Hesitantly I opened it.

 _Hey, Lili_

 _I hope you get well soon. The doctors say that there is a little chance that you will recover from the coma but I believe that you will push through it. I hope you come back to school after you recover, it's not the same without you here._

 _I hope that you are already top notch after finishing reading this._

 _With love, Ella._

I closed the letter as I remembered who this girl is. Of course, it was my best friend in this world. It was one of the people who actually pushed through my emotionless exterior and got to know me. One of my few friends. And that just reminded me of how much I had just lost as well. What about Fairy Tail? In the letter, it said I was in a coma. Did I dream all that up?! Oh god, please no…

My frantic mind was interrupted when the door opened and a nurse came in.

The woman gasped as she saw me up from bed.

"Oh my, you're awake!" She said, sounding more like 'How is this possible?'. She hurried next to me and then pushed me towards the bed. "Please, rest now and I will go get the doctor." She rushed back the door.

"Wait, I have some questions!" I yelled after her but she was already gone.

I huffed as I waited, thinking of what I was about to do. Ok, so I look the same as before but I feel as if all the times with Fairy Tail were real. I can even feel emotion again. I am not so closed. And yet I cannot feel even a trace of my power. After Inoreth granted me his power, it was not only that, that he granted me. After that, I could feel the ethernanos in the air. I felt so connected to everything. Wherever I was, I never felt lonely even if I was alone. And now, I just feel a void in the space around me. At least my dragon birthmark was still in it's place.

The doors suddenly opened and a tall man in a doctor's suit came in. He checked on me and did some tests to assure that I was ok.

"Incredible, it seems that you have fully healed in the span of a month." The doctor mused as he watched the results.

"I was in a coma for a month? What happened to me?" I asked, wanting some answers.

"You were brought here after a car crash, miss. You had hit your head really hard. You were with severe brain damage when they brought you here and it's a miracle that you are even alive. In the situation you were it, it was speculated that you would have never been able to overcome the coma that you were in. More good news are, that at the time of the crash, you hit only your head and there is nothing broken." The doctor explained.

I bit my lip. I didn't know if I was 'that' lucky or 'that' unlucky for getting pulled out of Fairy Tail.

"Though, that bids the question… With the brain damage that you have experienced, it is impossible for it to not have some lasting effects. Do you maybe feel any different or perhaps you don't remember anything? Amnesia is a common case in this situation." He asked.

' _Amnesia? Brain Damage? Does that mean that I really imagined that whole world? And that it's not real? That everything good and bad that experienced was nothing? Ok… ok… calm down. Some things are foggy, I need some answers.'_ I thought.

I pretended I was thinking for a minute.

"Well, I don't feel any different. But I don't remember some things. Like the name on that letter over there, 'Lili'. Also, some of my memories are quite foggy." Obviously, I skipped the part where I lived another eighteen years with a new identity and a new life as a whole, otherwise they would think that I'm mental or have a split personality disorder at the very least.

"Ah, I see. Well, your name is Liliana Wilson. Your uncle, Abner Barton, is the only living relative that we are aware of. He visited only once... He didn't really believe that you would make it…"

' _What could you expect from that old demon.'_ I growled like I was used to after the time I lived with Inoreth. Hey, I was still part dragon back then.

"Miss, did you just growl?" The doctor lifted an eyebrow.

' _Woops…'_

"Huh? No?" I pretended I didn't know what he was talking about.

He eyed me funnily but then proceeded to tell me more information.

"…Ok then. You also had some more visitors, friends mostly I presume. They only visited once but two people were often seen coming here. The first was an old man by the name of Edward Hawks. The other was a girl your age, who visited quite often."

' _Guess that was Ella.'_ I smiled lightly.

"I'm afraid that that is the extent of my knowledge, miss. I'll be sure to notify your uncle of your recovery. It seems that you are good to go, but with your situation, I would like you to stay for at least two more days so that we can monitor and see if there are any complications." I nodded in understanding and the doctor bid me farewell for now.

It was evening already so I just went to rest for today.

The other day went so slow… I had become such a hyperactive person that this was outright torture to just sit in here and do nothing. At least whenever I was in the infirmary at Fairy Tail, all my friends would come and check on me. They would make me laugh and give me something to keep me occupied. Of course, there was the fact that my body healed that much faster and I didn't need to stay more than a day or two. Were those times really just a part of my dying mind? A safe haven where I was at peace while I fought for dear life?

I sighed, drilling a hole in the ceiling with my intense gaze.

So far, a nurse would come and check on me every two hours or so… I cannot describe the feeling I felt when I saw a somewhat familiar face. It was late afternoon right now.

The door to my hospital room opened slowly and a girl with brown hair entered. She closed the door behind her, without noticing me. When she turned around, she dropped the bag she was carrying on the ground and looked with shock at me.

She was somewhat my height, about one meter and eighty centimeters, maybe a bit shorter. She had sea blue eyes and a tanned skin.

"Lili!" She squealed and rushed towards me, without giving me a chance to respond. She hugged me before I could even get out of bed. My god, her grip was stronger than that of Erza when she hugged you.

"Ella… you're…" I gasped for air. "can't… breathe…"

"Oh sorry!" She laughed, with tears in her eyes as she parted away from me. "I'm just so glad to see that you're ok. You had me so worried but I knew that you would pull through."

I laughed happily. I had such an awesome best friend. "Thanks for coming by all the time."

"No problem. What are best friends for?" She inquired. I grinned my trademark toothy grin from ear to ear but I noticed that my canines were now normal. That got me a bit down. I had gotten attached to my dragon parts. They looked cool…

Suddenly Ella gasped. "Lili… did you… just smile?!" She looked in shock but her voice betrayed her excitement.

I laughed again to confirm. "I guess, I did." I put a hand to my mouth to stiffen my laughter over her overreaction.

' _Was I really so emotionless that I didn't even smile when I saw her?'_ The thought went through my mind.

We talked for an hour or two before she had to go home for dinner and I stayed behind. She gave me a book to read before she left and I told her that by tomorrow I should be out. I also promised her that when I'm out I'm right back to school and that we will have a grand time.

She was really shocked by my sudden change, though. She would always comment how much I didn't even look like my old self and asked me what had changed. I smiled lightly and told her that it was someone close to my heart. I had told her that while touching my dragon birthmark.

* * *

 **[Next day, in front of the hospital.]**

Throughout my stay in the hospital, I had accepted the fact, that I was now back on Earth. I had two options after all... To cling to what I believe are dreams or to live my life here. I chose the latter, no matter how much it saddened me.

I was currently in front of the hospital, waiting for Edward to pick me up. Apparently, the doctor had informed my douche of an uncle about my recovery and he had sent his butler to pick me up.

By now, I had already remembered who Edward was. He was an old man in his sixties, I believe. He had brown eyes and dark hair with strings of white. He always wore a tuxedo as his job required. He was courteous and nice. How could I even forget about the man? He was slim and tall but he was so much like Beatrice in character.

After my parents died and my uncle took me in, Edward was the one person from all the servants of my uncle that interacted with me on his own will. He was nice to me and he was mostly the one that raised me. Since my uncle made me do the chores with the other servants, Edward showed me how to cook, how to make my bed and clothes, how to speak politely and all that. I don't think that without him or Ella I could have lasted until I was eighteen years old…

Just as I was thinking about him, a black car drove in front of the hospital, stopping in front of me. Edward came out of it to greet me.

The old man hugged me affectionately and I returned the gesture.

"I'm so glad to see you up and well Liliana. I've been so worried." The man let go and then looked at me.

"Same, Edward. Thanks for coming to get me." I smiled lightly. He arched an eyebrow like Ella when he saw me smile but he didn't comment on it.

Instead, he opened the door of the car for the front seat for me. "Come on, let's go home." He beckoned me to go in.

"Yeah… home…" My mood changed as I remembered what I had called home not a few days ago. An image of the guild hall, with all the members of Fairy Tail laughing with me. Natus, Erza, Lucy, Happy, Gray and everyone else having a fun time with me.

I stepped forward, ready to enter the car when I realized that I was actually entering a death machine and my face turned slightly green.

"Is there a problem?" Edward asked as he went to the driver's seat.

"Nah, I'm fine..." I replied, hesitantly entering the car.

Once we started our journey, though, I was surprised that nothing happened. I didn't feel my stomach twisting and what's more of a crazy thought was that I even enjoyed the ride, like… like I used to. But that was just another reminder that I wasn't back there again.

Edward saw that I was not in a good mood and so he didn't pry. He also didn't ask any questions so the journey was relatively quiet. The perfect time to think of what was I going to do.

Was what I experienced all a dream? Was it my brain which put me there while I was in a coma? I mean I was in an anime for god's sake?

I scoffed. Was it all just my imagination? I huffed annoyingly as reality broke my dreams. I can't go back there. Nothing there was real. It was all a part of my mind. And yet I feel so lonely here. Even with Edward and Ella, I feel as if I don't belong here anymore. I was happy and content where I was. Why must I be pulled back here? The boring and cruel world that is Earth.

I had to face it. This is where I lived. No illusions were to be had. I was here, in the world without magic… In the real world. Maybe I really just had a split personality disorder…

I was pulled away from my dilemma as Edward announced that we were here. The car stopped in front of a metal, double gate and the old man next to me lowered his window to speak to a camera. After that, the doors opened and we were in. Behind the doors was a huge mansion, bigger even than the one I had dreamed up while I was in the coma. I drove by a huge pool and then we entered an underground where Edward parked the car next to so many more, expensive looking cars.

After that, we spoke a bit of what I had missed in the past month, which wasn't much really. He took me to my room and told me that tomorrow I didn't have to go to school if I didn't feel like it but I refused, having promised Ella to do it. He left me when we were in front of my room.

"I must go now, Liliana. Your uncle requires my services. He also asked for you to meet him after you are finished dressing up." He informed me.

"Thanks, Edward. I'll be right there." I thanked the man but deep down I scowled at the thought of meeting my uncle. When I was little he used to drink a lot and then he would beat me up for every small mistake. He had changed through the years and now he didn't drink so much but he still didn't hesitate to hit me.

I entered my room after Edward's form disappeared behind the corner. For someone who was abused by the owner of the house, my room was actually quite fancy. It had a big, two people sized bed in the back. A desk with a computer and all necessary equipment for school. I had a closet next to my bed filled with all kinds of luxurious dresses and the windows were covered by professionally made yellow curtains with flowery decorations on them.

I quickly got through my closet. I found a nice violet dress. Hey even if I had imagined that world of my, my personality has still changed and it was for the best. Even if it was in my mind, I had grown as a person back there.

I quickly put it on and looked in the mirror near the closet. It was a nice stylish dress, but it didn't give the same feeling the one from Inoreth gave me. I sighed again.

' _Stupid! You have to get over it… It wasn't real… This is real."_ I tried to sound sure in my own mind but my emotions betrayed me. I felt very sad and lonely right there and then. I had to face the truth... Being reborn in anime sounds much stranger than 'You dreamed all that up while you were in a coma...'. I shook my head and then I quickly recovered as I remembered that I had a task.

After I dressed, I got out of my room and started wondering around the mansion… Needless to say, I got lost.

' _Dang it, I forgot to ask Edward where my uncle's room was. Ughhh… If I'm too late he is going to explode again.'_ I started looking around frantically. I had totally forgotten that Edward wasn't informed that I had a case of slight amnesia. Well more like after eighteen years you forget some things, but that is besides the point… and it wasn't really eighteen years.

After a bit of looking around, I spotted some servants. I asked one of them for direction and thankfully they told me where I had to go.

And that's how I found myself before the doors of Hell in my opinion. Of course, it was just the doors to my uncle's office. I knocked on the huge double door.

"You may enter." Came out a stern voice from behind the door. And so I did.

"You required my presence." I said, monotone. I did not show any sign of emotion towards the man. He was short and plump with dark hair. His eyes were deep brown and he had a tanned skin. He was wearing a brown tuxedo with a red tie and he had a cigar in his arm as he sat with crossed legs on his chair, awaiting for me to approach him.

"Yes, you brat. I heard that you didn't actually die in that car crash of yours. Personally, I would have said 'good riddance' but you somehow managed to pull through. I just wanted to tell you that this doesn't change anything. I expect that you would be going to do your chores as before and I don't want to hear any complaints about it." He said with a scowl. I narrowed my eyes with a barely noticeable frown.

"Yes, of course." I bowed.

"Now, get out!" He waved a hand at me.

I didn't need a second invitation to get away from him. I slammed the doors behind me.

' _Ughh… If only it was like in Fairy Tail, I would show him! I can't stand that man. I almost die and that's his attitude towards me?! "Good riddance" He said. The nerve on that guy. If only I still had my magic…'_ I raged inside of my mind without noticing a servant next to the door.

"Um… miss Wilson?" The girl, who was not much older than me asked. It looked like she was quite shy.

"WHAT!?" I snapped, having been interrupted in my silent rant.

The girl backed away in panic. "I'm s-sorry b-but I've been s-sent here t-t-to h-help you a-around. Mr Hawks s-sent me a-after he found o-out t-that you h-had forgotten your w-w-way around" The poor girl stuttered as she hid behind her hands.

I sighed, now feeling very much guilty. I shouldn't have snapped like that, she was here to help me get around and I just screamed at her for no reason. "Sorry for snapping… I was just really not in a good mood. You didn't deserve to be shouted at." Even though I still worked with the servants, I still had some more authority than them because the owner was still my uncle and for me to shout at someone like that, they probably thought that I was mad at them for something.

"N-No problem mistress but we should probably get going now." The girl inquired. She visibly relaxed as I apologized.

* * *

The rest of the day was doing some work around the house with the rest of the servants, like how it was for the rest of my life. At evening, I talked with Ella on Skype. She told me that I had a lot of material to catch up. I was in a highly profound university and missing so much as a month of lectures was going to be hard to catch up. But I knew that I would be fine. Since I was a really closed up person I had a lot of time to study and I always had excellent marks. That's how I got into the university. Also, Ella promised that she would help me.

After that, I went to bed.

The next day, Edward drove me to school. I met up with Ella and we had classes together. Everyone was so shocked to see me show any signs of emotion, though, it was actually quite strange. Some of my other friends, if you could call them that, started asking me questions of what had happened. How was I feeling, why was I suddenly showing emotions and all that crap.

Currently, we were in the cafeteria. I and Ella sat on a table alone. We were just chatting when we both noticed how everyone was looking at me.

"Why is everyone looking at me like that?!" I whispered to her.

"Well, you did undergo a car crash and most speculations led to the fact that you would not survive. But I believe the real reason is how much you've changed." She smiled at me.

"What do you mean? I haven't changed that much, have I?" She looked at me funnily after that.

"Are you kidding me? You are wearing something different that black for one." That was true, I was in an azure T-shirt that I found in my drawer and some jeans. "You are also smiling and having fun and you have a certain confidence to you that just wasn't there before. It's just not like you, in a good way." She pointed out.

"Huh…" I mumbled as I looked around, seeing everyone looking at me. "What are you all looking at?! Don't you have anything better to do?" I yelled the way Erza would, looking all around. Everyone hastily looked in different directions and started gossiping between each other. When I looked back at Ella, her mouth was agape.

"What?" I asked.

"See!" She pointed a finger at me and laughed. "That's what I'm talking about. You would have never even thought about doing that before."

I didn't want to think about what I had lost again. I was just over it, I didn't need anyone reminding me how I had found my happiness and then how I found it was all just a dream...

"People, change Ella." I said sternly. After that I just started nibbling on my food and my best friend just stood there not knowing how to respond.

* * *

After lunch, we had some separate classes and after them, we said that we would meet up next to the lockers. I was just heading there with my books when I saw Ella pinned to her locker by a boy with a smirk. There were some more around him. The boy that had pinned my friend uncomfortably to the locker, had his left hand next to her head, blocking her escape. He was one of the 'bad boys' of the university.

As I walked up to them I could overhear what they were talking about.

"Oh, come on babe, don't be like that. Just one drink after school." He pushed.

"Uh… no thanks, I uhh have some more classes after school and I don't really have the time so uhh… yeah." Ella tried to save herself.

"Then you can come after, hmmm?" The guy pushed. At that point, I was already near them.

"Hey Ella, we're still meeting after your additional classes, right?" I tried to save her.

She looked at me with eyes screaming 'Thank you'. "Uh, yeah!" She beamed. The guys near her were obviously annoyed and they turned to look at me.

"Sorry honey, but I think that you will have to change your schedule up a bit. This lovely babe is coming with me tonight." The one that had Ella pinned smirked at me. I frowned on the other hand.

"Is that so?" I grabbed Ella from under him and pulled her near me. "Well, as far as I heard, she declined so tough luck buddy. Come on Ella." And we turned to go away.

"Oi!" The guy grabbed my shoulder. "Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? You bitch! You were trembling whenever someone tried to talk to you before and now you're acting so high and mighty." He snarled.

Ella looked scared at me as we still had our backs at them. I shook my head and beckoned her to move away. She stepped aside to the lockers.

"I suggest you unhand me before things get ugly buddy." I could feel his rage bubbling up from behind me.

He just laughed, making the others behind him laugh as well. "Did you hear her? Things would get ugly, she said. True! They will, but not for me honey." He said mischievously. "Maybe we can play with you a bit after school as well." He implied, still holding my shoulder with a tight grip.

"I warned ya." I suddenly caught his hand with both of mine and I pushed my leg back to his, knocking them in the air and I flung him over my shoulder. He fell to the ground on his back. Everyone was staring at me with shock. Ella's mouth was agape. The other guys too and everyone in the corridor was now staring right at me.

He got up, though, holding his face and then he looked at me with a face full of rage. "Ugh, you bitch! How dare you!" And then he swung at me, but I dodged to the side. He then tried to hit me again but I got a hold of his hand and went with it behind him, locking him in a painful position. After that, I kicked him forward from behind his back and he stumbled forward to the ground, towards his friends.

He got up again and then he pointed at me. "What are you looking at you idiots. Get her!" He snapped. The other four boys that were still with hanging mouths of what had occurred obliged and they all charged at me with that other guy with them. They weren't all that strong. Natsu, Gray and Laxus were much stronger than them, even without their magic.

One of them started swinging at me with another one an I just dodged easily as if I've been doing this my whole life. Well I had but it was just all in my head, right? After I saw an opening I kicked the first guy in the gut, while the third, fourth and the guy who had pinned Ella, tried to attack me from behind.

I sensed them coming and right as the second guy tried to smack me from the front, I moved my head to the side, caught his hand and then I flung him behind me and used him as a shield. The others that were already trying to swing at me hit their friend instead. They were shocked and I used the moment to kick the guy I used as a shield towards them, knocking them on the ground. The one that had pinned Ella was able to jump back but he was starting at the other knocked out four with shock and I didn't hesitate to use that opening.

I charged at him and kicked him right on the cheek. Before he fell on the ground, I grabbed his hand and used the momentum to pin him on the ground and lock him with his hand behind his back.

"I suggest you listen next time and unhand me..." I stated calmly. I hadn't even broken a sweat. True, my body was not as strong as it was in that fantasy world of mine, but somehow I was just too experienced with this...

Unknown to me from all the adrenaline that was pumping in me, a huge group of people were surrounding us like that one time I was fighting with Natsu. Still holding the guy, I looked around, a bit shocked from all the people who were using their phones to record the moment or were just snapping photos. I let go of the guy and went to the, still shocked Ella, ignoring everyone else.

"What was that?!" She asked in astonishment and shock. "Where did you learn how to fight like that?!" She was shouting right into my ear, but it wasn't so painful as if I were to have my heightened senses.

"Ugh…" I tried to think of something. "I've been taking self-defense classes through the internet lately?" I smiled sheepishly. She blinked once at my explanation, then twice and right as she was about to say something a strong voice took everyone's attention.

"What's the meaning of this?!" The headmaster was hurrying towards the scene. The circle of people around us moved aside to make way for the headmaster. When he came to the scene and saw the five boys trying to get up, obviously in pain he looked around.

 _'This can't be good...'_ I thought.

"Who is responsible for this?" He narrowed his eyes at everyone. His eyes stopping at us, the only ones who were not in the circle of people.

Suddenly the guy that had pinned Ella, pointed towards me. "It was her! She just straight out attacked us for no reason!" He accused me.

The headmaster arched an eyebrow at me. "Is that true?"

"No!" He seemed to believe me. "They threatened me and my friend, and then I attacked them." I crossed my hands. He looked with shock at me and then at the boys.

"You mean to tell me that you did this to them by yourself?" He looked at the boys all groaning in pain.

I looked sheepishly at him. "Yeah…"

"But they threatened us first!" Ella tried to defend me.

The headmaster huffed, obviously annoyed by the situation. "I will only give you a warning this time but next time I see something like this, everyone involved will be expelled, am I clear?" He said with authority in his voice, looking at me and the boys.

"Yes, sir." I lowered my head.

"And seemingly as you…" He pointed towards the main guy. "And you…" Then he pointed at me. "Are the main wrongdoers here, you will both be serving detention after classes and that's final. Dismissed!" He shouted and everyone scrambled.

"But!" The guy tried.

"No, buts!" The headmaster gave him a stern look and then walked away. I and Ella walked away before anything more could happen. She started shooting questions right as we walked by the corner. I tried to explain how I trained self-defense and all and she actually took my lie. She was then praising me for the rest of the day, right after she yelled at me for being an idiot and getting myself in trouble for her.

* * *

After the classes ended I entered the room where the detention was being held. The guy was already there. He looked annoyed. Now that I had a better view of him, he was tall with dark hair and brown eyes. He was slim and his build wasn't anything that I hadn't seen.

He looked at me with rage. "Damnit, look what you got us both into!" He snapped.

"Shut it mud for brains. This ain't pleasant for me as well." I took a seat as far away from him as possible and he just snarled at me. After a few minutes, a teacher entered the room and sat on the desk. He got a timer out and placed in on top of the desk.

"I'll be watching over you two until detention ends. Two hours. Make yourselves at home." He said and then he started doing some of his teacher work.

I huffed in annoyance.

' _This is going to be the longest two hours of my life.'_ I got a book out of my bag and started reading it.

The brat, whose fault was that we were here didn't really try to annoy me for the time being. I guess he learned his lesson. I also took the time to think of what had happened back then. I acted on pure instinct, on muscle memory. I was losing my mind mostly. There was a dilemma inside my mind that I had no answer to. I couldn't ignore the things that were going on. My instinct to growl at something unpleasant, the way I act, the way I fought. I am not Liliana… or am I and I'm just delusional? Maybe the brain damage that the doctor warned me about lingered on and now I'm going crazy… But why does it feel like that now since I'm away from Fairy Tail's world, I'm so lost? Who am I really? And the most important question... Can I go back?

When the two hours expired the timer rang.

"Ok, get out of here." The teacher stood up and walked away from the room.

"Finally!" The dark haired boy yelled and walked out of the room as well.

 **Narrator**

Anora was left alone in the room as she put her book in the bag and prepared to go home. She flung the bag around her shoulder and exited the room, still thinking about what she was going to do.

As she left the room, she failed to notice the black messages that had appeared all over the white board, which the teachers used. In the center of them all, a certain sentence was taking most of the space on the board:

' _Anora! Hang in there!'_

 _ **Answer to a Guest: seen: I don't know who to pair Anora with atm and I don't think that I will find anyone as of the near future, so for now, she stays a matchmaker... *cough* ugh... I mean that is if she returns to Fairy Tail that is... *nervous laughter***_

 **A/N: Oh my gosh, another cliffhanger. What's going to happen to poor Liliana/Anora that the world itself is telling her to hang in there? Hmmm?**

 **And so we delved in Anora's past. But what about her future? Is she going to be able to go back? And most of all, what will be the price for going back?**

 **Ok, with the teasing aside, I'll see ya all in the next chapter.**


	22. Chapter 22: Arcane Dragon's Roar

**WARNING! READ THIS BEFORE READING THE CHAPTER: Ok, so this chapter is going to include some dark themes – one of which is going to include acting on thoughts about suicide. Please, if you are a person who has a problem with such things, please, do not read on. To all people with such problems, understand that there are people who care for you. DO NOT act on such dark thoughts. If you are feeling depressed or hopeless, try seeking help. You would be surprised how many people will want to lend a hand.**

 **With that being said, enjoy the new chapter**

Chapter Twenty Two

Arcane Dragon's Roar

 **[Fairy Tail's World.]**

 **Narrator**

"Anora! Hang in there." All the members of Team Natsu were saying to the blond they were carrying throughout the journey back to the guild. Two days had passed since the Nirvana incident. The Alliance had defeated the 'Oración Seis' and their Master and with that, they had also destroyed Nirvana. But the sweet taste of victory was soured by the news of their fallen comrade and friend. Celebration would have to wait as they had to assure that Anora was treated. It appeared that she was alive but to their shock and desperation, not even Wendy could do anything to help the vegetative state that the girl was in.

After an emotional confrontation with the rune knights that had demanded to take Jellal and Hoteye, turned good, into custody, the Alliance checked on Cait Shelter before they went straight for Fairy Tail. In their confrontation with the guild Master of Cait Shelter, they found the truth about how Wendy was actually alone. That was the push the blue-haired girl needed and she decided to join Fairy Tail when they go back.

And so, with no further obstacles in their way, they all rushed towards the guild.

When they arrived, cheers could be heard from all of their guild mates, but they quickly died down as they found out that one of their own might not make it. They quickly carried Anora's form into the infirmary and then called for Porlyusica. The old woman came and despite her annoyance at the situation, she quickly inspected the girl and then gave her verdict.

Everyone, including Master Makarov, had gathered around the bed, where Anora lay as Porlyusica was about to speak.

"I see… It appears that the girl has been hit by strong a illusion spell. One so powerful that it lingers on even after the defeat of the mage who has cast it." The pink-haired woman spoke calmly.

"Will she be alright?" Erza questioned.

"It all depends on her. This magic requires the user to free himself from it's grip but there is one problem. This spell feeds off the fears of it's victim. It manifests their worst nightmares and it slowly makes them lose their mind. For her it's like she is living her worst nightmare in the real world and while for us it's just a fantasy, for her it is very real. If she is to die there then she will die here, in the real world. If she is to hurt herself then the wounds would manifest on her body."

Everyone gasped at Porlyusica's explanation.

Before anyone could ask any questions, the old woman continued. "There is more. It appears that this girl's demons are powerful and deep indeed. Normally the victim can find out that what they are experiencing is a dream-like state within the first day and then free themselves since their worst nightmare revolves around some fantasy or an unnatural situation. For the curse to be this strong it means that the girl's nightmare is something of the real world, created from some trauma or a memory she would wish to forget. I'm afraid, that if she does not find out that this is a dream soon, she will die from dehydration or from lack of food."

The silence that followed was unnerving, to say the least. Everyone was processing what those words meant.

"The good news is that she is a Dragon Slayer and as such, she can last longer than a normal person without food or water but she is still susceptible to the demons that plague her mind at the very moment. I am afraid that I cannot do anything more for her. We can only wait and hope." The woman gathered her things and prepared to leave.

Master Makarov who was listening in with closed eyes and crossed hands, took in the information before he spoke. "Isn't there at least a way that we can help her find out that she is not in the real world?" He asked and everyone looked towards him.

"Hmm… I am not certain of this, but I believe that she can still hear us. Depending on how powerful the curse has it's hold over her, she can either hear us or take subtle hints from the world around her. I suggest that everyone should stay with her on their own and try to sturr up some of her memories. If you know the exact state of her dream, you can tell her that what she is experiencing isn't real and that might just weaken the curse enough for her to break free. But for that to work, we must know of what she is dreaming about."

Master Makarov nodded and Porlyusica took her leave. Everyone from team Natsu was seething with rage. Natsu was gritting his teeth. Gray was threatening to freeze everything around him, even though he was keeping a poker face. Erza had shadowed her eyes with her hair. Lucy had her hands on her mouth and she was at a loss for words. Wendy was feeling regret that she could not help in any way. The rest of the guild had mixed feelings towards the situation but everyone agreed to help in any way they can.

"Alright everyone!" The master spoke. "You heard what Porlyusica said. We are all going to take turns to stay with Anora and try to communicate with her. With any luck, we will be able to help her out. I believe that you five should be first since you are the closest with her." Master pointed towards the members of team Natsu. Everyone nodded silently, not saying a word. Everyone exited the room and in was only left Lucy, Wendy, Erza, Gray, Natsu, Happy and Carla.

"I'll go first." Erza spoke, breaking the silence. Everyone else nodded and exited the room.

 **Erza**

I sat near the bed where my friend was lying motionlessly. As I watched her I felt a thug towards my heart. It was guilt.

"I'm sorry Anora. I couldn't protect you." I lowered my head. "Whenever one of us is about to get hurt, you are always there to try and help and the one time you needed it the most, I...I failed." I felt my left eye watering.

"You have to hold on. Keep fighting. Everything around you is not real! Come back to us. We need you." I wiped a lonely tear in my eye and then steeled myself as I walked out the room to be faced with the other members of the guild. I simply nodded, sending the next one in.

 **Lucy**

Everyone was in a gloomy mood with the whole situation. I believe Natsu and Erza were taking the situation the worst. I could see said boy leaning on a pillar next to me with crossed arms. He was gritting his teeth in anger and frustration.

"Hey, everything is gonna be ok. Anora can pull through this. She's tough after all." I tried to calm him down a bit. He didn't respond, he only lowered his head. I sighed knowing full well that the situation was indeed really bad.

At that moment Erza came out of the infirmary and sent for the next one.

"I'll go." I slowly walked towards the small room. Erza gave me an approving nod before she walked towards the others.

I entered the room and I saw her just lying there. I sat near the bed.

I sighed heavily. "I know that it isn't much, but we know that you can pull through this Anora. Everyone is so worried, Natsu and Erza are taking it the hardest." I lowered my head, not knowing what to say. "Please, come back. We miss you." And with that, I left the room.

 **Wendy**

I was feeling really guilty. I couldn't help Anora. I feel so useless. I felt something tugging on my skirt and I looked down to see Carla.

"You shouldn't berate yourself so child. It was not your fault, so stop feeling guilty about it." She scolded me.

"I know but I can't help it but feel useless." I murmured under my breath.

"Hmpf." Carla crossed her arms. At that moment Lucy came out the infirmary. She looked around to see who would go next.

I lifted my arm. "C-Can I go next?" I questioned.

"Of course Wendy, I'm sure Anora would appreciate the company." The blonde smiled at me and then proceeded to go next to Natsu.

"Come on Carla." I beckoned her to come with me.

We entered the infirmary and I sat next to the bed where Anora was lying. Carla was in my lap.

"What should we say?" I asked my white companion.

"I am not certain. I believe that we can only provide our support with encouraging words at this moment." She gave me her advice.

I nodded and then looked at the sleeping girl's limp body. "I-I know that we haven't known each other for long but I'm sure that you can do this. You can pull through! I'm sorry that I can't help. " I felt some tears run down my cheeks. "I feel so useless…" Carla put a paw on my hand.

"I think that's enough child." She tried to comfort me. I nodded as I wiped away the tears before I exited the room with Carla.

 **Gray**

This whole situation was outrageous. I still couldn't believe that this was happening. That someone was able to take Anora down. I was trying to play it cool but it was really hard.

I clenched my fist. I hated not knowing what was going to happen. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder to see that it was Juvia.

"Gray… Juvia thinks that Gray should calm down. Juvia is certain that Anora will be ok. Anora is strong and Juvia believes in her. Juvia thinks that you should too. She will pull through this." She tried to comfort me. I didn't even try to hide the fact of how much I appreciated it.

"Yeah… I guess your right. Thanks, Juvia." She smiled gently at me. At that moment Wendy and Carla walked out of the infirmary.

I started walking towards said room. "Guess, I'll go next." I entered the room and sat near the bed.

"…Look… I'm not good with the all that comforting thing, ya know… But ya gotta wake up Anora. Everything around you isn't real. Everyone is worried sick and we all miss you. Flame Brain and Erza are this close to blowing up the guild." I sighed. "I know that you can defeat what's bothering you, just please, hurry up." And with that, I took my leave.

 **Natsu**

I was so infuriated. Someone dared to harm one of my friends, one of my family and I couldn't even do anything about it. What am I worth if I can't even do anything when one of my comrades is suffering and I'm just sitting here doing nothing?! The worst part was that everyone else was hurting too. The smell of tears was everywhere around me and it only got stronger each time someone left the infirmary…

Happy was sitting on my shoulder. I think he noticed that I was not in the mood for talking since he wasn't as talkative as usual. I noticed that Gray exited the small room and I decided that I should go next.

Gray stood with crossed hands near the door as he watched me enter alongside Happy.

I sat near the bed she was lying on while Happy was still on my shoulder.

"What should we do?" Happy asked with sadness in his voice.

I huffed. "I don't know partner…" I was at a loss too. Usually, when I had to fight enemies it was all straightforward, just defeat them and be done with it. But this enemy was one only Anora could see and I felt useless. Happy looked at her with sad eyes.

"You can do this Anora. I mean you were able to even beat Natsu in a fight. Once you come back, I'm going to give a whole bucket of fish and we can even split it with the others!" Happy spoke to her first.

I smiled lightly at his words. "Yeah… ya better wipe the floor with those demons of yours Anora! We still have our rematch to hold! Don't go dumping me now." I lowered my head.

"Please… Anora! Hang in there!" Happy nodded to my words and the both of us left the room.

When we exited everyone was watching. I felt the anger bubbling up in me and I couldn't contain it any longer and set my fist aflame punching the wall besides me with everything I had. "DAMNIT!"

Everyone looked at me. "Natsu calm down!" Erza yelled at me.

"I feel so useless!" I punched again and again before I felt a hand on my shoulder. I calmed down a bit and looked to see that it was Lucy with tears in her eyes. I felt a pang in my heart. I hated seeing Lucy cry.

"I… know how you feel… but this isn't making it any better." She told me through her tears.

My resolve broke. "You're...you're right…" But then I had an idea. "Wait…" I quickly lifted my head.

"What?" The others asked in unison.

"Anora… she has this book inside of her house… I saw it once on her desk when I visited and she wasn't home." I explained. "It was something like 'Old Memories and New' or something but when I tried to open it, the freaky thing attacked me. It was really strange and I decided to leave it alone." I said with new hope.

"She enchanted her book?" Levy who overheard my explanation asked.

"If what you say is true then, maybe she enchanted it to keep people from seeing something in it. And if the name of the book is like that I bet that we can find a clue about what she is dreaming about in it. Porlyusica said that the nightmare might be connected to a real life experience or some kind of trauma." Gray speculated.

"Usually, I would punish you for snooping around her stuff like that but I suppose that can wait." I gulped as Erza gave me her stink eye. "For now, this is the only clue we have. We must retrieve this book. And as much as it pains me to have to look up something that appears she doesn't want anyone to know, it might be our only option." She added.

"If you bring the book I believe that Levy and I could be able to break the enchantment around it." Freed joined in the conversation. Levy nodded while holding a fist determinedly in front of her face. "Let's do this!" She added.

"Alright then! You brats go and fetch the book while the others are going to stay with Anora. If we can find out what she is dreaming about, we will be able to weaken the spell's hold over her." Master Makarov spoke loudly. "Now get a move on!" he ordered.

"Yeah! I'm all fired up!" I said as fist pumped into the air. Finally, I could do something helpful.

 **[Back in Anora's Dream World.]**

 **Anora**

' _Ugh… That idiot is going to yell at me again for being late.'_ I thought bitterly as I walked home alone, thinking of how my uncle would react to the news of me being in detention.

Edward had given me a phone with his phone number in it and I called him to know that I wanted to walk home. I didn't have a rush to get back there and I really needed some alone time to think about what had unfolded today. I was still really confused as to what action to take.

I sighed. I was truly getting mental nowadays. I looked around to see the hustle and bustle of the city I was in. It was late in the afternoon and people were coming back from work so it was fairly crowded.

Suddenly, something caught my attention. It was a certain shop with a board on top of it with it's name but…

' _Everything around you is not real!'_ The sign read.

' _What the!?'_ I rubbed my eyes with my hands and looked again.

' _Winter's shoe shop.'_ The sign read now.

' _Ok, what's going on here?!'_ I continued walking home, a little startled. What did it mean 'Everything around you is not real?'. No… The message was not the real thing here. My mind is just messing with me. I picked up the pace towards home.

Since I didn't remember the streets that well I used the signs to help me. I perked up to see a sign in front of me. My breath stopped for a second.

' _Please, come back. We miss you.'_ The sign told me.

I shook my head vigorously. _'No! Stop it! This isn't real!'_

I looked back at the sign and this time, it showed me the way as it was supposed to. The otherworldly message had disappeared.

I picked up the pace once again. People were now eyeing me funnily as I almost jogged through the streets.

A billboard in front of me which was used for commercials suddenly displayed a message with words coming one after another as a commercial.

' _I-I know that we haven't known each other for long but I'm sure that you can do this. You can pull through!'_

' _Shut up! Stop it!'_ Now I was running like a madman as if someone was chasing me. The one thing I wanted right now was my mind reminding me of what I had lost.

Everywhere I looked message, as if my friends from my imaginary world were trying to speak to me, were popping up here and there.

'… _ya gotta wake up Anora.'_

' _Juvia thinks that you will win!'_

' _Come on twerp, fight it.'_

' _Everything around you is a lie…'_

' _Come back to us!'_

' _SHUT UP!'_ I screamed in my mind as I neared the mansion.

"OPEN UP!" I yelled at the camera while I was still sprinting from one hundred meters or so away. The door was just barely open and I sprinted through it. I got pass the pool and then I entered the mansion. Edward was at the entrance and he was just about to open the doors as he saw me coming but I just burst through the doors and ran past him, ignoring him completely.

"Greeti…" I stormed right past him without saying a word. One could say I was running just as fast as when my I had my dragon traits but that was insane, right? I got into my room and locked myself in.

I threw my bag on the floor and then I jumped on top of the bed and took deep breaths.

' _Ok…ok… Just breath… Everything is just going to pass away and I don't need to worry about anything. I need to talk to someone.'_ I got up and went to my computer to open it. Ella would know what to say to comfort me.

Just as the computer lit up a message popped up. _'Please...Anora! Hang in there!'_

Anger now bubbling inside of me, I was half tempted to break the stupid thing but instead I cut off it's power.

I got my MP3 player and put on some earplugs and then I lied down on my bed to relax. Some music is just what I needed to clear my mind.

' _Why does my mind have to remind me that I can't go back there…'_ I felt a tear run down my cheek. _'It isn't fair… Why is this happening to me?'_

 **[Fairy Tail's World. Anora's Room]**

 **Narrator**

"What the hell did she enchant this book with?!" Gray yelled. Team Natsu was currently in Anora's house, facing the girl's diary. The enchantment that she had recited on it since the moment she got the book had strengthened itself each time she repeated it and right now the book was doing it's master's bidding by protecting her secrets.

Ethereal chains were flying all around it and magical circles were creating explosions, destroying part of Anora's room from time to time. Purplish arrows were thrown at anyone who dared get close to the book.

"I don't know! It's as if she has imbued it with her own power somehow." Wendy, having some knowledge on enchantments speculated.

"We have to find a way to bring it back to the guild!" Erza said.

"Oh yeah! I'm all fired up!" Natsu yelled as he lunged towards it with flaming fists but Erza grabbed him by the scarf pulling him back.

"No! You might destroy the book that way and we need it. And besides, we are still in Anora's room. We need to find a less destructive way!" She commanded.

"Gray, try to freeze it." Lucy suggested.

"On it!" He readied himself to cast an Ice-Make spell.

 **[Anora's Dream World. Anora's Room]**

 **Anora**

I was currently listening to some music from my MP3 player. I had closed my eyes and I had calmed down. There were no more fantasy messages.

The song I was currently listening was suddenly cut off by static which made me arch an eyebrow. It startled me a bit and now a song that I knew all too well started to play. It was 'Bad Apple'. I had listened to it a lot before because I like it but it's lyrics were dark and depressing. Should I really listen to it while I'm like this?

' _I guess, there is no harm in it…'_ I though as the song started.

 _Ever on and on I continue circling_

 _With nothing but my hate in a carousel of agony_

 _Till slowly I forget and my heart starts vanishing_

 _And suddenly I see that I can't break free-I'm_

 _Slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity_

 _With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony_

 _To tell me who I am, who I was_

 _Uncertainty enveloping my mind_

 _Till I can't break free, and_

' _This sounds familiar…'_

 _Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real_

 _But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel_

 _So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside_

 _And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night_

 _You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go_

 _But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know_

 _If I make another move there'll be no more turning back_

 _Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black_

'…' I was listening in closely now, concentrating on the lyrics that I had forgotten over all this time. For some reason, they held a bigger meaning now.

 _Will tomorrow ever come? Will I make it through the night?_

 _Will there ever be a place for the broken in the light?_

 _Am I hurting? Am I sad? Should I stay, or should I go?_

 _I've forgotten how to tell. Did I ever even know?_

 _Can I take another step? I've done everything I can_

 _All the people that I see I will never understand_

 _If I find a way to change, if I step into the light_

 _Then I'll never be the same, and it all will fade to white_

It was as if they were describing my situation… as if they were describing my thoughts...

 _Ever on and on I continue circling_

 _With nothing but my hate in a carousel of agony_

 _Till slowly I forget and my heart starts vanishing_

 _And suddenly I see that I can't break free-I'm_

 _Slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity_

 _With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony_

 _To tell me who I am, who I was_

 _Uncertainty enveloping my mind_

 _Till I can't break free, and_

 _Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real_

 _But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel_

 _So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside_

 _And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night_

 _You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go_

 _But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know_

 _If I make another move there'll be no more turning back_

 _Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black_

I was trying to play it cool but it was as if it was meant for me to hear this song at this moment. A deep chill was going over my body and I had an ominous feeling about this.

 _If I make another move, if I take another step_

 _Then it all would fall apart. There'd be nothing of me left_

 _If I'm crying in the wind, if I'm crying in the night_

 _Will there ever be a way? Will my heart return to white?_

 _Can you tell me who you are? Can you tell me where I am?_

 _I've forgotten how to see; I've forgotten if I can_

 _If I opened up my eyes there'd be no more going back_

 _'Cause I'd throw it all away, and it all would fade to black…_

The song ended and it was like I was out of a trance.

' _What the?!'_ I looked around. I hadn't even noticed that I was standing on the rooftop of the mansion. It was already nighttime and only the lights around the mansion were the only thing illuminating the darkness. On top of that, it was raining and I couldn't believe how I couldn't have noticed it until now.

I unplugged the earplugs and put the MP3 player in my pocket. I looked around. The wind was blowing and howling. I was already soaked from the pouring water. On top of that, I couldn't get the lyrics of the song out of my mind. It was as if they were speaking to me. I was about to head back when I felt a chilling sensation on my shoulders. I felt a presence behind me but I couldn't turn around.

"Who are you?" I said, but I couldn't stop the crawling fear that was rising within me. In a few seconds, I was trembling. What was going on?! I was never this afraid.

The being whispered in my ear in a soothing voice which was like silk.

"You want to go back, do you not?" It asked.

I processed what it meant and then I nodded slowly.

"Then you know what to do…" It was as if my body knew exactly what he ment and my eyes looked towards the end of the rooftop. "You just have to do a leap of fate." My eyes widened as I realized what it meant.

 **[Fairy Tail's World. Fairy Tail's Guild Hall]**

 **Narrator**

Team Natsu had just returned to the guild with a frozen book in their possession. They were met by the whole guild in the infirmary around Anora.

"Well? Were you successful?" The Master asked.

"Yes, we were able to bring the book." Erza handed the frozen book to Makarov.

"Here." Master gave it to Freed and Levy's care. "When I tell you, Gray, I need you to break the ice." He ordered. Gray nodded.

"Are you two ready?" He looked towards Levy and Freed who nodded.

"Now!" As the ice broke, Anora's magic started flying in every direction, trying to keep everyone away from it's form. Levy and Freed were in most danger as chains started ensnaring them but at least their hands were free to work their magic.

In the end, they were successful in dispelling the enchantment permanently.

After that, Levy opened the book slowly and read aloud.

"Disclaimer: If for whatever reason anyone else but me has opened this book without my permission, I implore you, please do not read on." Everyone tensed at that. No one wanted to violet her privacy but it was necessary.

With a short pause, Levy continued.

"If for whatever reason my friends and family from Fairy Tail need to read through this book, then I must warn you. The contents of this diary are of utmost importance for this book is not ordinary. Only reading through it can cause devastating consequences for the reader, so with that said, I must ask you that you do not continue reading. If it is necessary, I give permission ONLY to Master Makarov to read through this book's contents." As Levy finished reading the disclaimer she stopped and looked at Master Makarov. The whole guild was in deep silence as everyone was processing the words.

"Master, what does that mean? Only reading through it can cause grave consequences?" Gray asked.

"Hmm… I do not know…" He tapped his chin. "Nevertheless, I believe that we should honor her warning. Levy, could please give me your glasses." Levy handed Makarov her Gale-Force Reading glasses alongside the book.

Master Makarov started reading through the book with Levy's magical glasses. He finished reading through it in a minute.

He closed the book in his hands and lowered his head. "I understand now. This is indeed a grave situation." He handed the book to team Natsu who were all wondering alongside all the other members of the guild what did Master meant. Before anyone could ask, Master Makarov turned to Natsu and the others.

"Please, return the book to it's original place after this ordeal is over. I must ask every single one of you not to meddle with it's contents. I understand now why the disclaimer was put there and I must ask you all to honor it. Leave the book to Anora and never speak of it again." Makarov's expression was as serious as when he fought Phantom Lord's Master. Everyone understood the gravity of the situation. Master never spoke so seriously unless it was absolutely necessary and everyone just nodded in understanding without questioning it.

"Now everyone, I must ask you to leave the infirmary. I have the needed information." He ordered them to exit.

"Wait…" Everyone looked at Natsu. "What is it?" Makarov asked.

"Wendy, Gajeel can you hear it too?" The pink-haired boy asked them. For a minute they were confused but their eyes suddenly widened.

"Anora's heart is slowing down." Wendy whispered and everyone looked at her and then at Anora who was beginning to look pale.

Everyone panicked. Levy touched the pale looking girl on the bed and her face turned that to a shocked one. "She is so cold!"

"Everyone out!" Master suddenly yelled. "We have no time!"

"But gramps! She needs us now!" Natsu yelled.

"We can't leave!" Gray agreed.

"You have done enough, now all that I ask is that you leave so that I can help her!" Master's tone was imposing, filled with authority.

Erza grabbed the others. "If the Master says that he can do something about this then we must put our faith into him." She gave them her serious look.

In mere seconds everyone was out of the room much to their protest. Makarov turned to Anora's lying form.

"My child, I believe that I know what you are faced up against, but I must ask you to come back. That world is long since behind you. It is not real anymore. Come back to us. The world around you, that you are experiencing at this moment, is nothing more than a shard of your memory. I understand if you find it hard to believe, with everything that you know, but we are real. Your family here is real. If you realize this than the demon that is trying to take away your light will have one trick less to use against you. You must defeat it before he takes you away from us." Makarov sighed as he watched Anora's breathing heavily.

 **[Anora's Dream World.]**

 **Anora**

"What do you mean?" I asked the presence behind me.

"I believe that you already know." It answered calmly. "After all… you've even thought of doing it before."

My eyes widened. "How… how did you know?"

"That does not matter." It pushed me towards the end of the rooftop. "What matters is that you can go see them again. Don't fool yourself. You don't belong here."

"You're… you're right." I mumbled as it continued to push me.

"Will it work?" I asked, afraid of the outcome.

"Yes~" It whispered in my ear. "It's your wish after all~"

I stepped at the end of the rooftop and looked down at the ground. It was about twenty meters fall. The mansion was huge after all.

Suddenly a voice in my mind sounded like Master Makarov. "M-Makarov?" I mumbled as I heard his explanation.

"Don't listen to that~" The presence behind me whispered again. "It lies. This is all real. There is only one way to go back."

"But he said… That it's not. Gramps wouldn't lie..."

"It lies!" The thing hissed. "How can this not be real? Did you not feel everything until now. Did you not sleep? Did you not eat or drink? Did you not talk to people?"

"I guess… I guess you're right…" Something compelled me to trust the presence behind me. It felt so calming. But was I right? I don't know what to think anymore.

"Just one more step~" It reminded me and I looked down at the ground again.

And then I heard another voice in my mind. It sounded strange. Strong, yet gentle. It almost sounded like Inoreth but… it wasn't him. It was a woman's voice. _'Anora! Don't trust that thing. You are stronger than that demon. Fight! Pull out of your trance. You are an Arcane Dragon Slayer! You are Anora! Liliana died a long time ago! You have the soul of a dragon and yet you are acting like a weakling! Pathetic! Fight back! Break free from this curse! Can't you see that the demon is manipulating your every move!'_ The voice scolded me.

It was as if I was slapped in the face. Whoever she was she was right. What was I doing? I wasn't acting at all like myself. Suddenly I could see the world around me more clearly and the first thing I did was turn around. I saw a shadowy form right behind me. It was so thick that you could even see in the darkness.

"What the heck are you?!" It grabbed me by the hands but I fought back.

"Impressive, you broke my hold over you. But it's too late! You have no magic here! You have no friends here! You are in my world now! And no one can save you!" It hissed and then it pushed me off the rooftop.

My eyes widened as I could no longer feel my own weight. Time seemed to slow down as I was plummeting towards my doom. I could even see the drops of the rain falling by me. I saw myself flying towards the hard ground and I only thought about what an idiot I was. How could I let myself be deceived so easily?

I closed my eyes. The creature was right. I had no powers here. There was no way I could survive that fall.

' _I…I failed.'_ I awaited for the moment everything would end.

And then, I heard that woman's voice again. _'Not here, not now!'_ I opened my eyes and to my utter shock, I saw that my dragon birthmark on my left shoulder started glowing in a bright purple and blue light with a white hue around it.

In an instant, right before I fell to the ground, purplish ethereal chains sprung forth from the ground underneath me and caught me.

They placed me on the ground and I looked around myself and then I looked at my hands. The shadowy form revealed itself not far away from me. I looked at it.

"H-How… How did you do that?!" It hissed, no longer using that silky voice. Now it sounded like something from the depths of hell.

I heard the woman again inside my mind. _'You must defeat him! Now, fight daughter of Inoreth! Show me who you really are! Fight for your life!'_ She demanded with confidence in her voice.

I felt a warm sensation in my palm and I looked at it to see the familiar violet and blue light, dancing around my hand. I smiled gently. I stopped feeling the loneliness that I was feeling the moment I came here. I was again connected with the world around me.

"Thanks for reminding me who I really was…" I murmured to myself and then I looked at the shadow, which was inspecting me.

I stepped forward towards it, igniting my fists with the lights of my power, the rain pouring over us. "You messed with the wrong girl." I let out a growl.

"No matter." It said mostly to itself. "I am still the one that controls this world! You cannot stop me here, even with your powers back!" It boasted.

"I do so love to prove my enemies wrong." I crossed my hands in front of me. "And I know just the way to prove just how wrong you are.!" I yelled at it as hundreds of violet arrows appeared around us.

"Now! **Arcane Dragon Spectacle!"** I yelled and then expanded my hands to the side. All the arrows flung towards the shadow but it disappeared.

I felt it's presence behind me and didn't wait for it to attack first.

" **Arcane Dragon Claws."** My hands instantly morphed into purplish draconic claws and I swung behind me. The shadow, which was there ready to attack, jumped back and hissed at me.

I didn't wait to give it a moments rest. **"World Rip!"** I yelled as I sliced the air in front of me with my claws. My hands left ten floating marks in the air as if a claw mark on a person's skin. In an instant, the waves of energy shot towards the shadow which was not expecting it. The attack passed through it and it was as if the shadow's own body shrunk.

It yelled in pain. "You will pay for that!" And with that, the scene around us changed. I was in the university. I narrowed my eyes at the empty corridor. At least the lights were on and there was no more rain. I formed my two twin ethereal blades in my hands ready for oncoming attacks as I strolled down through the corridor.

"Come out, you coward!" I yelled at the nothingness. I was looking all around me. Then I felt the presence behind me and I didn't hesitate to turn around and swing at it. I stopped the sword mid-air, just before it hit the face of my best friend.

"What the... Ella!? What are you doing here?!" The smiling form of my friend was standing there without even flinching at the blade before her. Her smile suddenly became twisted as shadows started oozing out of her mouth and eyes. Before I could process what the heck was happening she lunged towards me.

Suddenly she grew huge shadowy claws and swung at me. She hit me right in the stomach and I stumbled backward. I dissipated the sword in my left hand. I used it to holding my bleeding abdomen. I swung with my free hand towards Ella but right as the blade connected with her smiling form, the scene changed again and I was standing in my uncle's mansion. Still holding my stomach I was trying to scan the perimeter.

 **[Fairy Tail's World. Infirmary.]**

 **Narrator**

Master was watching in awe as Anora's whole body was glowing in a violet and blue light. He was suddenly startled when the blonde's clothes were ripped in a claw-like pattern over her stomach. Blood quickly starting to flow.

Master watched in shock. He hurried back to the guild hall. "Wendy!" His eyes landed on the new member of the guild.

"Yes?" The blue-haired girl asked worriedly from Makarov's tone. Everyone from the guild turned to face him.

"Anora's condition has gotten worse, I need your help, child." Makarov asked pleadingly.

"What do you mean gramps?" Natsu and Happy suddenly got up from the table they were sitting on.

"Is she ok?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"Master, what happened?" Erza asked.

All the guild members started asking questions but Makarov quickly silenced everyone. "Now is not the time for pointless questions!" He yelled. "You may come in if you wish but as of right now, Wendy can you try and heal her?" The Master of the guild asked.

"I'll try my best!" Wendy's eyes were filled with determination.

"Alright then! Quickly now." Makarov beckoned them all inside the infirmary.

 **[Anora's Dream World.]**

 **Anora**

I walked around the corridors of the mansion, trying to ignore the pain in my abdomen as much as I could. The problem was that I was losing blood fast and my vision was getting blurry. I entered a room that I saw for I needed rest. I didn't even notice that it was my uncle's office. For some reason, though, there was no one inside.

I walked forward, towards the desk, when I felt movement behind me. I turned around quickly to find that it was Edward.

"I won't fall for the same trick twice!" I yelled as I extended a hand towards him and screamed.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast!"** Casting it with one hand would lessen the strength of the spell but it would still do enough damage for me to follow up.

What I did not expect was the shocked look on Edward's face right as his stomach was pierced by my dancing lights. He fell on his knees as blood started flowing through the hole in his abdomen. My eyes widened. What happened?!

"Liliana… What… did… you… do?" The old man asked weakly. Suddenly, another strange thing happened. I felt the wound on my stomach close and I felt much better. Shaking off the shock I ran towards the old man and I held him by the shoulders.

"I…I…didn't mean!" I tried to apologize but I didn't know what to say.

He put one arm on my shoulder and opened his eyes. Blood was streaming from his mouth.

"You…you…"I felt a pang of guilt in my heart. "You foolish girl." He chuckled darkly and my eyes widened as I felt a burning pain in my back.

I stumbled forward, over Edward who actually disappeared in a poof of dark smoke. I turned around as I felt my back bleeding. It was the form of my uncle, but twisted and oozing with shadows.

"You coward!" I yelled as I ignored all pain in my back and two swords materialized in my hands. I charged at him. "This ends here!"

" **Arcane Dragon Wing Attack."** I swung at the demon in a circular motion but it just smirked. Right as I slashed through it, it disappeared in a poof of black smoke and I stumbled forward. When I returned my balance the scene had changed again and I was on the street where I first saw the messages from what suppose were my guild mates.

I fell to my knees, clutching the wound on my back. Just as I was feeling the burning pain from it, the wound closed itself and I could no longer feel pain. I still felt the fatigue from losing too much blood, though. I had a feeling that I had to thank Wendy for that but I couldn't afford to get any more wounds. Wendy was probably exhausted even from the first time she healed me and I can only imagine what she is feeling right now.

I stood up and looked around. No one was out on the streets. It was at night and the shops were the only thing illuminating the streets. At least it wasn't raining anymore.

"I'm tired of this game of hide and seek!" I yelled as I got up and crossed my hands. I could feel no arcania in the air but for some reason, I could feel power flowing through me as if I had an endless supply of magical energy.

" **Arcane Dragon Spectacle!"** I yelled and hundreds of arrows appeared around me. I expanded my hands to the side and they flew in every direction towards every shop, every building in sight.

" **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle!"** I continued and little magical circles appeared before every arrow. As they passed through, two more arrows took the place of every single one that passed through a magical circle.

They shot into the buildings exploding the into a bright purplish light, illuminating the night sky. But where the buildings stood, were not ruins, no! It was a pure background of white. It was as if you were looking at a piece of paper for drawing.

 _'Was that what gramps meant when he said that nothing around me is real?'_ I speculated.

That gave me an idea. "Come out or I will make _your_ world crumble!" I yelled.

Before me, five figures appeared. It was the boys, which butts I had kicked before detention. Now they were just like the other puppets of the demon. All twisted and shadowy.

"I don't fear you! So stop with your goddamn cowardly illusions and fight me!" The shadows charged at me while more of them appeared about one hundred meters away from me. I saw that brat who I fought, Ella, the doctors and the nurses from the hospital, Edward, the servants, my uncle, people from around the street when I was coming home. And above them all, only a huge shadowy face appeared as they all charged towards me. The demon was acting like a big puppet master...

"You will not leave here alive!" The puppet master yelled.

"We'll see about that!" Before the shadows had reached me I took a stance with one hand behind me and the other in front.

" **Arcane Dragon Secret Art:** **Arcania's Wrath: Dance of the Arcane Dragon"** I started waving my hands around in the direction of the approaching shadows as the night sky filled with a bright purplish light. Objects of all kind, created from solid ethernanos, started appearing and smacking into the shadows making them dissipate. But that was not all I crushed all the world around me, breaking pieces of the demons world, leaving only a trace of a white background. It yelled at me to give up but I was ignoring it and using the whole of my being to fight back. The shadows that were approaching had no end to them but I would not give up.

" **Arcane Dragon Twin Blast!"**

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains!"**

" **Arcane Dragon Claws."**

" **World Rip."**

" **Arcane Dragon Grand Impact."**

" **Wing Attack, Amplification Circle, Shelter, Retribution!"** I flung my whole arsenal of spells left and right trying to fend off the enemies that were approaching me like a horde. I could feel no arcania yet I could feel no fatigue as well. I noticed my whole body glowing in a blue and violet light as I destroyed the world around me.

"I will not give up!" The light's intensity around my body grew. The puppet master's smirking face above all the others in the air suddenly adopted a scowl. "I am Anora! I am Inoreth's daughter! I am a mage from Fairy Tail!" At that moment I had defeated all the shades around me and I looked towards the puppet master in the sky. "I am the Arcane Dragon Slayer!" Suddenly the light around me exploded and as if I was made of glass my skin shattered and my form was reforged. I saw my guild mark materialize on my right shoulder and I smirked. I was not Liliana! Not anymore anyways! I was Anora and I was back!

I took in a deep breath.

" **Arcane Dragon ROAR!"** I bellowed as white, blue and violet particles shot out of my maw and towards the sky, where the demon was hiding. It looked shocked as I spread my arms to the side.

" **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle!"** As my magical roar passed through the magical circle, it doubled in intensity and it connected with the puppet master's floating face.

At the moment of impact, a huge explosion sounded and the sky started to crack in a white line. Some parts of the buildings were already a white background but most of the world was still intact. Until now that is.

The cracks spread across the whole of reality and in one swift motion they shattered like glass. Now I was standing in a pure void of white. All the shades disappeared with a hiss as they entered this realm of light.

I dropped to my knees, totally exhausted. How was I even standing here? What was I supposed to do now? Suddenly I saw the shadow demon lying on it's back on the ground in front of me. It was as big as me in size and it had a humanoid form. I gritted my teeth as I pushed myself up and I went over to it.

I mounted it so that it can't move from his lying position and I grabbed it by the chest which was surprisingly solid. I shook him.

"Tell me how to get out of here or I swear, you will know the meaning of pain!" It only smirked, not saying anything.

I could feel the rage bubbling inside of me. I lifted my clenched hand into the air and I smacked him in the face. At the moment of impact, I looked down to see Natsu staring at me.

I didn't bite, and I punched it again. This time, I saw Erza. Again – Lucy. Again – Wendy.

"Ughhh! I've had enough of you!" I hesitantly punched the form of Wendy and the next time I looked at him my body froze. I saw… myself. Only not Anora. It was Liliana… I hesitated too much.

"What the heck are you?!" It's smirk only grew wider as suddenly it hit me with the palm of it's hand in my chest and I was sent flying into the air to my utter shock. In the blink of an eye it got up and the form of one of my twin blades formed in it's hand but only in a dark light instead of a purplish one. Before I knew what was happening it plunged the sword into my stomach while I was still in the air.

Then, while I was squirming on top of the blade it lowered me down to it's level and it whispered to me.

"I am you~" It said with that silky voice it had into my ear. "I'm your greatest nightmare~"

I squirmed once more on the tip of the blade but I had enough of this. With all the strength I had left I spread my arms to the side. Liliana's form was shocked as I pushed forward to her and then hugged her and the blade ripped through my back.

" **Arcane Dragon Guardian Wings"** I screamed from all the pain I felt and purplish, ethereal, draconic wings sprung from behind me. At the tips of the wings, short, sharp blades.

On command, they enclosed on both of us and plunged the blades at their tips in the back of Liliana. The demon groaned in pain as I didn't let go of it.

"You are nothing...You are just the memory of someone who died long ago..." I said gritting my teeth at it, with blood dripping from my mouth.

It squirmed for another second or so and then it disappeared in a puff of black smoke alongside the sword that was inside of me. I dropped on the white floor as I held my stomach, which had hole in it. I rolled on my back as I stared into the white void. I felt the world around me go dark and in an instant I was unconscious...

 **A/N: I really do have a tendency to make her go unconscious, don't I? Hmm… Well, let's just call it plot convenience and move on!**

 **Also, idk about you guys, but I was just screaming pure epicness while writing this chapter and the music I was listening to, just added to the hype. I hope you felt the same way because I wanted it to be that way!**

 **See ya all in the next chapter!**


	23. Chapter 23: The Truth

**WARNING: This chapter at one point will go over some heavy themes. Since we are going to be reviewing the actions of Anora from the last chapter, I'm putting up the same warning as before. Read at your own discretion. I think that this should be the last time I use a warning, so yeah. ^^**

 **I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter Twenty Three

The Truth

I felt a sudden pain in my head. It appeared that I had the mother of all migraines. It was really annoying. I opened my eyes as I tried to recall what had happened.

"Ugh…" I caught my head as I lay in what seemed to be a bed. I opened my eyes and the I surveyed the area around me. "…Where am I?" I croaked out, my throat burning.

The scenery around me suggested that I was in an infirmary. I tried to get up but a sharp pain in my abdomen stopped me in my tracks. I tried once more, this time, prepared and I successfully bent into a sitting position. I clutched my stomach as the sharp pain slowly subsided. I slowly lifted the sheets off my body. Looking down at my stomach, devoid of clothing, I saw that it was covered in bandages.

"What happened?" I asked no one in particular. And then, out of the blue, my memories came flooding back.

"I… was… back on Earth… and then…" Realization hit me and I looked around the room again in panic. That feeling quickly faded away as I took in the view of the, particularly familiar room. This was Fairy Tail's infirmary.

"I'm back…" I said in a low voice. "I'M BACK!" I couldn't contain my relief and happiness. I was back where I belonged. I fell back on the bed with content. It was like nothing bad had happened to me at all. The fact that I was back here filled me with joy and happiness.

"I'm home…" I whisper to myself yet again, just so that I can confirm that I'm not dreaming. At the best moment possible, my stomach growled angrily, ruining the emotional moment I was having.

' _I was having a moment, you stupid stomach, you…'_ I thought to myself.

My stomach grumbled angrily as if to say 'Feed me!'.

I saw some silverware shining at the corner of my eye and when I turned to see what it was, to my delight, I saw a tray of food and water next to my bed. With a bit of effort, I sat on the edge of bed. The pain in my stomach was not that big but it was fairly annoying. I also saw that my dress was next to the tray so I quickly put it on before doing anything else. After that, I reached out and got one of the sandwiches that was lying on the tray and I started chowing down on it.

I swear to God, Mira could probably make even dirt to taste like the best thing you've ever eaten. There was no doubt that she had made them. I quickly devoured all of them. I may be a lady but I was also a Dragon Slayer and with that came the appetite of a dragon. At the moment I didn't have to hide that. I drank the water in the bottle that was near the food, relief filling me. My throat was no longer burning and I was feeling much better.

"I'm glad to see you that you are feeling better." I looked away from my treat, towards the door to the infirmary to see Master Makarov standing there. The strange thing is, I didn't even notice him entering. I quickly swallowed what food I had in my mouth.

I smiled lightly yet sheepishly. "Master." I greeted him.

He started walking towards me with his hands behind his back and his head bent low. I was still sitting on the edge of the bed. He walked until he was standing right in front of me and then he lifted his head, looking right into my eyes with a sad yet happy expression.

"You gave us quite the scare these past four days." He said, breaking the awkward silence.

' _So I've been out for four days, huh?'_ I thought.

I honestly felt quite guilty. Everyone probably freaked out and it was all my fault. I started playing with my fingers and I looked down. "Yeah, sorry about that." I touched my stomach and then I looked up at him. "So… What happened? Did we defeat the 'Oracion Seis'?"

He nodded. "Yes, we did win. All the members of the dark guild were put into prison, but unfortunately, you were cursed by one of their members. After Natsu and the others brought you back, they said that you've been unconscious for two days. After that, we brought you to the infirmary and since then it has been two days."

"The curse that one of the members of the 'Oracion Seis' put on you was a spell that puts it's victim into a dream-like state, then it creates a demon inside their mind which can control the seems of the world around you. The demon looks through the memories of the victim and then proceeds to recreate their worst nightmare. Though even if it was only a dream, the consequences of actions there are as real as they are in the real world." He pointed towards the bandages. "Unfortunately, I see that you've found out that the hard way." He sighed, closing his eyes and looked down.

After he opened them, he looked back at me. "Do you remember what happened to you back in the dream world?" He asked with curious eyes.

I tried to remember everything. It was a bit hazy but I remembered most of it. "Yeah… It's a bit foggy, but I remember most of it." I whispered, feeling uneasy under his inquisitive gaze. It's not that I didn't want to tell my friends and family about my origins but I just didn't feel comfortable with that. Honestly, I wanted to forget about that world altogether. Looking back at the dream I remembered how awful and miserable I felt being there.

"Can you tell me what you saw?" He asked me calmly, breaking my train of thought.

"I… uh… I… really don't want to talk about it…" I tried to evade the question.

For a second, he remained silent but then he said something I was not expecting… "Anora, I know about your past." My eyes widened. But how could he? I've never told anyone about it…

"W-What…?" I asked in disbelief. How? No… This was bad. The only way he could have found out about that is if he saw… My eyes widened as I looked at him.

"In order to help you, we needed to know what the curse had created as your nightmare so that we could tell you exactly from what to be weary off… If you knew that exactly the things surrounding you were not real, the curse loses a part of it's power for it no longer can use your memories against you." He explained. Now everything went into place. I remember the things he told me while I was on that rooftop with the demon. "…And so, we consulted your diary."

"Oh…" Was all that came from my mouth. My heart skipped a beat. So he did see it… But he said 'we'… Does he mean the others know too?

Master noticed my worried look and he hurried to reassure me. "Don't worry, the brats don't know about it's contents. We honored your wish and I am the only one who knows."

I looked down, processing the information. This was bad, very bad. Someone else knows the future now besides me. At least they honored my disclaimer, otherwise, this could have been a disaster.

"Thanks…" I found myself saying. The rabbit was out of the hat and I should feel terrible about it. I should have hid the damn thing better… But for some reason… I don't. I feel the anger but I also feel relief. As if a huge boulder just came off my shoulders. On one hand, someone else knows about my secret and on the other – someone else _finally_ knows about my secret.

I lifted my face to meet his curious eyes. Now I was feeling guilty. He knew that I kept some very valuable information from them. "I'm sorry for keeping this a secret Master but… I thought that it was better for no one to know about it. I know that that might be a bit selfish on my side, to keep this knowledge to myself but I thought it was the right thing to do… A-are you mad?" I had to know. At this very moment, I was feeling the shame from each scenario where I lied to my friends about a fact I knew about so that everything can go as it should.

Makarov just closed his eyes and huffed. "I am not mad at you, my child. Something more – I'm proud of you." He opened his eyes to look into mine.

I gasped in shock. I felt a warm sensation in my heart.

' _He was… proud of me?'_ The tension I was feeling was slowly being replaced with relief.

"I read everything about your past…" He started. "But after I found out that the book also contains the future, I did not meddle with it furthermore." I looked at him with disbelief. He actually didn't give in to the temptation to see what the future hold.

He continued his speech. "Time is a fragile concept, Anora. It has rules which most people are oblivious to. Even I don't fully understand it's concept. Knowing the future can give you the power to change it and that is a devastating power. It can be both a blessing and a curse. You did do the right thing keeping this from everyone else." He huffed. "You have a big burden over your shoulders, my child and yet… You have made the right choice even though you knew that some of this knowledge could benefit your comrades. You didn't falter in your resolve." I smiled gently at his words.

"Thank you, Master!" Was all I could say. I never thought that he would actually 'pat me on the back' so to say for my doings. But then again what would the others think of me if they ever found out? Would they be so understanding?

He still held that curious look in his eyes, though. "Now, can you tell me what happened to you in the dream world?" He asked casually.

I stiffened. Well, the truth was already out and he already knew everything about my past. It couldn't hurt to tell him. With a huff, I closed my eyes, steeling myself. The last thing I wanted was to be all teary-eyed in front of Master Makarov.

"I dreamed about my old world." I explained.

"So I was right in assuming that." He nodded to himself.

I continued to retell what had happened. I told him how I woke up in the hospital, how I met Edward and Ella, how I lived in my 'oh so loveable' uncle's mansion, the talk I had with him. His feature considerably darkened as I explained my meeting with my uncle. After that, I told him how I went to school and how I saved my friend by kicking some guys asses. He chuckled as I retold that part with great detail, telling me that that was the right thing to do and congratulating me on defending a friend even though I had no powers. Then I told him how I walked back home and how I saw everything around me change into messages, beckoning me to go back to my real home. At that point, he explained to me that that was the guild trying to reach out to me. I smiled lightly and continued to tell him how I got back home and how depressed I was for knowing that I had no clue how to go back. I told him about my first meeting with the demon and how everything turned out in the end. His features darkened considerably when I told him about the roof but he did not comment on it.

Talking about the roof I remember something peculiar which confused me greatly. That woman's voice that sounded so much like Inoreth yet it wasn't him. I asked the Master about it but he had no answer as well, saying that no one has talked to me after him. He said to not worry about it right now but the thing is that this particular memory could not escape my mind.

Throughout my tale, Master commented on how things were going on this side of things. He told me how everyone visited me to comfort me. He told me how Wendy helped my battle the demon, by healing my wounds. He told me how they send for Porlyusica to patch me up after the third wound since the little Sky Dragon Slayer was already exhausted. The little blue-haired girl was actually pretty stubborn and afterward helped me heal even faster, though. I always liked Wendy in the anime but I was beginning to like the little girl more and more.

And so I finished my tale, Master Makarov taking in every bit of information.

"I see." He said looking down with a hand rubbing his chin. At one point during my retelling, he had sat on the bed next to mine. "It must have been quite the experience. But I still don't understand one thing..." He looked up at me and I met his eyes with a curious look of my own.

"Why was you worst nightmare a manifestation of your old world?" He asked me.

It was safe to say that I was dumbstruck. I stood there in silence for a bit. I didn't feel that way about it and yet deep down I knew that that really was my deepest fear. The fear that made me go to bed late at night each day. The fear of this all being a dream.

I started playing with my fingers again and I looked down at them in my sitting position, not looking towards Master. "I guess it's because I was so miserable there…" I explained. I could see at the corner of my eye that Master had a stern look on his face. "My family died when I was young, I had no real friends there with the exception of one, I was living with a person I detested and I was an empty shell, a mere shadow of the person I am today… the real me, the one I always wanted to be but never could."

Makarov was listening to me silently as I continued.

I could already feel that strong feeling inside my chest that wanted the sweet release of tears but I denied it. I was going to be strong. With a shaky voice, I continued. "The demon was right on the rooftop ya know?" I looked at Makarov. "I really did think about doing _that_ myself but I never really had the guts to do it. That's how much I hated it there." He grimaced at that but I didn't give him time to comment. "Looking back now, though, I realize how stupid I was for even thinking about it." I looked back at my fingers with which I was playing. "Sure I hated it and all but I still had people that cared about me, no matter how few. I shouldn't have even thought about such things because it would pain them." I could see Makarov giving me an approving smile at that statement.

"And then... I was reborn here. I had a nice family that loved me, a brother who I looked up to, then I met Inoreth, then I learned magic, I found a way to crack my shell and to be free. And then... I got into Fairy Tail. I found a family that loved me as equally as I loved them and even more. I laughed every day, I had adventures, when I cried someone was always there to hold me and comfort me. I found a place where I belong." At this point Makarov had a gentle smile adorning his face.

"And that's why this is my worst nightmare. The way I woke up in the hospital… Every night I would go in bed late because I'm afraid that when I close my eyes and then open them again, I will be back there. That my family from Fairy Tail will be only a one night dream which I thought of to keep reality away. That I will be that lost, miserable, little girl again…" I finished my explaining. The room was dead silent now.

Master Makarov quickly broke it, though. "I see. I can understand your fears, my child, but I can assure you, we are very real. Your family is real and they were very worried about you. All of us love you and will always do. To be honest I'm surprised that the guild is not in ruins right now from the worry of some of the members." We both chuckled at that.

Makarov gave me a big smile. "It is true that you have gone through some tiring times, my child, but because of them, you are the person that you are today." I looked at him again, feeling a little better. He was right, as always. I chuckled lightly. "Don't be afraid of your past, it is behind you. You are surrounded by family now and you can be sure that we aren't going anywhere, anytime soon."

' _How does that man always know what to say?'_ I smiled brightly as I looked down to my hands once again, which had stopped playing around a while back.

"Now, rest up. You've been through a lot and even though Wendy was able to heal you, you still need to gather your energy." He spun around and started walking towards the exit of the infirmary.

"I guess I owe her twice now..." I mumbled to myself, smiling as I lay back on the bed and then covered myself with the sheets.

"I will inform the others that you are feeling better." He said with a hand on the doorknob. "I'm sure that everyone will be delighted to hear that you are alright." He gave me another smile before he left the room.

While I was lying in bed I looked towards the window to my left. It was a bright, sunny day outside. I really felt tired, though. Maybe I should listen to Master and take a quick nap.

' _Yeah, that sounds like a grand plan. After all the drama I've been through for the past month, I think that a good nap for refreshment will come in nice.'_ I yawned as I finished my thought.

I closed my eyes, relaxing completely. The only thing that was still bothering me was the only unanswered question that was left from my conversation with Master. Who was the woman, who saved me? Looking back at it, she didn't only return my powers and snap me out of the trans-like state, she actually saved me from my fall.

 **FLASHBACK**

 _'Not here, not now!' I opened my eyes and to my utter shock, I saw that my dragon birthmark on my left shoulder started glowing in a bright purple and blue light with a white hue around it._

 _In an instant, right before I fell to the ground, purplish ethereal chains sprung forth from the ground underneath me and caught me._

 _They placed me on the ground and I looked around myself and then I looked at my hands. The shadowy form revealed itself not far away from me. I looked at it._

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

I wasn't the one to order the chains to catch me… and why was my birthmark glowing… Was she the one that created the chains? Another person that controls the arcane powers... But if that is true how was she inside the dream world...

' _Who is she?!'_ Only that question was swirling in my mind, not giving me rest. If I wasn't tired like hell I would probably not be able to sleep, but that was not the case right now. My eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier with each passing moment. And with a still unanswered question swirling through my thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I woke up to a huge amount of noise. I quickly bent into a sitting position, of course, instantly regretting it thanks to my souvenir from the dream world. The pain that I felt in my abdomen was annoying but manageable. Looking around, I saw that it was already night time. There was no one else in the infirmary so where is all this commotion coming from?

I got up and walked around a bit. The pain wasn't noticeable. Thank god to my fast healing capabilities and Wendy or I'm sure that I would've been stuck to that bed probably for a month or so. I walked up to the exit of the infirmary and opened the wooden door that was in my way.

Once I did that I found the source of the loud noise. It looked like the whole of Magnolia was in the guild. Thanks to my heightened senses it felt like I was in a night club. I could barely hear anything.

Looking around the guild, I noticed that Mira was sitting alone on a table and she was thinking about something really hard. This seemed bad. Mira had a serious expression on her features. This meant that this was no party. The only other reason for the people of Magnolia to come to the guild was for… shelter. My eyes widened at the realization and I quickly ran up to Mira. She didn't even notice me until I put a hand on her shoulder, startling her.

"Mira, what's going on here?" I asked worriedly, taking a seat on the other side of the little round table. I actually had no clue. I had no memories of what was going to happen next. This part was especially foggy.

"Uh?! Anora, you should be in bed right now." She scolded me.

I wasn't having any of that. "There is obviously something going on here and there is no way in hell that you can make me sit it out and not help! So, what happened?" I asked her with finality obvious in my voice.

She sighed looking down and closing her eyes. Then she looked at me. "Natsu and Wendy went to investigate a rumor about a dragon sighting. After they didn't come back for a while Erza and Lucy decided to go after them. After sometime Master got word that they've been captured by some woman and the worst part is…" She looked down. "Apparently, Gray helped her succeed."

My eyes widened. "That can't be true! Gray would never betray us!" I almost yelled. This didn't make any sense. Why would Gray betray Natsu just like that? I can't believe that that is true. And I still can't remember where exactly I am in the timeline…

Mira shook her head. "I don't know what to think anymore. Lucy and Wendy confirmed it when they got back. I'm really worried. Elfman, Wakaba and Macao went after them but they haven't returned. Lucy and Wendy told us that they stayed behind to fend off some strange creatures. And the worst part is that a massive dragon construct is flying towards Magnolia and Natsu is trapped inside of it!"

"What!?" Was all I could manage to produce in terms of speaking. I was just too shocked.

"That's why we gathered all the civilians in the guild. The guild is preparing for battle just as we speak. We are waiting for an update on the situation…" Before she could continue, Levy ran into the guild and she frantically scanned the area before her eyes landed on us.

"A-Anora, your awake!" She was surprised. A smiled formed on her lips but she quickly shook it. "Nevermind, we'll talk later. Follow me. Elfman and the others got back but they got roughed up pretty bad!" She exclaimed worriedly.

Mirajane and I quickly bolted up and ran with Levy outside the guild where we met some of our guildmates. Some of the members were really injured.

"Elfman!" Mira yelled as we ran towards the group. It looked like that Elfman was one of the badly injured. He was using Laki for support.

Cana, who was checking out Elfman's injuries quickly stood up and extended her hand. "The other guys need immediate attention. Get them inside, quick!" She commanded. Some of the members quickly dragged Wakaba and Macao into the guild.

When we got to the group everyone was surprised and they all smiled when they saw me. "Yeah, I'm back in the game people." I gave them a toothy grin and before anyone could comment I added. "We'll catch up later, now we need to protect Magnolia!"

Their smiles quickly turned into serious expressions yet again as we looked towards the task at hand. Mira went to Elfman, who was at this point on his knees. She bent down to hold him. "Elfman tell me what I can do to help you?" She asked with worry evident in her gentle voice.

He lifted his head to look her in the eyes. "Mira, you have to save Natsu." Elfman replied with a hoarse voice. "I owe it to him after everything he's done. Bring him home…" He replied.

"It'll be ok, Natsu is as good as saved." Mira assured her big brother. After that, Elfman fell on his back with a loud _THUD._

"Elfman!" Mira yelled in desperation and she was quickly there to hold him.

Wendy ran past me towards Elfman. I was standing at the side near Lucy as we all watched in silence. "Don't worry, I'll heal him with my Sky magic." The blue-haired little girl quickly started working her mojo.

"Oh, thank you, Wendy." Mira thanked her with a shaky voice.

Still, with crossed hands, I turned over to see Gray who was sitting on one of the benches while he was being guarded by the other guild members. His head was bent down low so that his hair could shadow his eyes.

"Gray…" His ears twitched. Everyone else looked towards me and then to him. "Tell me that the things I heard are not true? Tell me you didn't betray them…" My voice was getting lower with each passing word. Quite frankly, I still couldn't believe it. Gray was not that kind of a person. He was loyal. I remembered bits and pieces of the timeline I was in but most of the details were still foggy. I guess I didn't really pay much attention to this arc when I was watching the anime in my old world and now I was paying the price.

After I finished my question, there was no reaction from him. He only flinched a bit. At the corner of my eye, I could see Cana getting infuriated. I could understand why, she was his closest friend when I joined the guild. The two were practically like Natsu and Lucy at the time.

She ran up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders and then started shaking him.

"Wake up!" She yelled in his face angrily. "You don't get to sleep through this! Why don't you admire your handiwork, you traitor!" She wanted to sound angry but you could just feel the sadness in her tone. After she got no reaction from him she scoffed, shaking him once more. "You're pathetic!"

At that moment Juvia ran up to Cana and pushed her out of the way. "Leave him alone!" She spread her hands in front of him. "Don't you _dare_ call him that! My beloved Gray would never turn his back on Fairy Tail! What happened to 'hearing both sides of the story before you start accusing someone'? Juvia has faith in him even if the rest of you don't! Juvia _always_ will…" Her voice was shaky. She was at the brink of tears. At that point Gray put his hand on her shoulder, startling her and stopping her from continuing.

"That's enough. It's alright." He said without any clear emotion, standing up. "You're supposed to take me see gramps, right? I'm ready unless you wanna sit around and chat some more." He turned his attention to us.

Alzack and Bisca walked up to him with their guns in hand. Alzack had a small pistol while Bisca had her sniper rifle.

"Fine. Start walkin'." Alzack told him.

"My trigger finger's itchy so don't give me a reason to scratch it!" Bisca warned him and the three went inside the guild.

Juvia was about to let out the waterworks but she held them back.

"Are you ok?" Levy asked her, worried. Everyone turned to look at Juvia.

Juvia just shook her head with closed eyes and then opened them to look at the location where Gray had been taken to. She had her palms clasped together as if she was saying a prayer. "Oh… Gray…" She muttered with sadness in her voice.

I let out a breath that I didn't notice I was holding. To be honest I still had some faith left in Gray. He had to have a reason for doing this. And I was totally not basing that on the fact that later on in the timeline Gray is still a part of Fairy Tail and still our loyal friend...

With all that over, I walked up to Lucy and Mira who were kneeling next to Wendy, who was still healing Elfman. I kneeled right beside them, watching Wendy work. Carla was hovering just next to us with her angelic wings.

"How is he?" Mira asked.

Wendy stopped using her magic and smiled at Mira. "He is gonna be to be fine now." And with that, she felt dizzy and she fell backward into my arms.

"Wow, I gotcha." I assured her as I hugged her for support. "Thanks..." She mumbled.

"Wendy!" Both Lucy and Mira yelled in shock.

Wendy lifted her little head slowly and with a big grin announced that she was ok. "I'm ok, but I might need help getting to other people so I can treat them too." I was really impressed by her. She looked like she was going to feint any moment now and she was holding on for the sake of others well being.

Carla, on the other hand, would have none of that. "Definitely not! If you keep using your magic to heal others you risk losing your own life, child!" The white cat scolded her.

Wendy pushed up a bit away from my embrace so that she could face Carla, who was floating near her.

"If that's what happens then so be it!" Wendy yelled, determined.

Carla started yelling milliseconds later. "No! I forbid you!"

"I'm not a baby anymore Carla! I'm a Fairy Tail wizard so I'll act like one whether you like it or not." We were practically gaping in silence at her demanding tone. Carla stood in silence for a bit, shocked at the words and tone coming from Wendy. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and put her paws behind her back. A pout formed on her face as if she was a child who lost an argument.

"Such stubbornness… I can't imagine where you get it." She wanted to sound angry but you could just hear how proud she was of the little girl. Lucy, Wendy and I shared a look and smiled at each other. Then Lucy adopted a new expression. One of pure determination and focus. She turned around to face the other members of the guild that were present here and then she got up to address everyone with one big shout.

"We are all Fairy Tail wizards so let's take down that dragon and rescue Natsu!" She yelled, holding a fist in front of her face.

The response was immediate as was expected from our guild. "If we were tapped, he wouldn't waste any time getting us out and crushing whatever got in the way." Jet commented with a big smile. He had one hand on his hip and with the other, he was holding the tip of his fluffy top hat.

"He's helped every single one of us at some point so it's time to pay him up." Droy agreed.

"Yeah, he was there when Phantom struck and he is always fighting for what we believe in." Levy commented with a clenched fist in front of her chest.

Romeo joined in excitedly. "He taught me I can do anything if I try. I've got courage cus' of him. We all do! This is our chance to pay him back!" Everyone adopted huge grins at the boys statement. Every single word that was said, was true and everybody knew it.

Happy suddenly flew above us and fist pumped the air. "Alright guys, let's work together and bust him out of there!" The blue feline yelled. Everyone fist pumped the air as well and we all agreed to the plan with a mutual and cheerful 'Aye!'.

In the years that passed, I saw Natsu as a brother to me and I'll be damned if I don't do everything I can to save his sorry ass.

Mira was now able to help Elfman off the ground. She looked at us from her position under her brother, who was using Mira for supporting. "What a team…"

 **A/N: Hey everybody! I think that you would be glad to know that the first part of my vacation has ended! It was epic so far, I hope that you yourselves are enjoying the summer. Now I have a few days where I will have access to my laptop and this is what amma gonna do: I HOPE (keyword** **hope** **) that I will be able to write at least 2-3 chapters in the time I have. Not including this one. I am coming back fresh and I have some really nice ideas as to where I want the story to go. The writers block I had from the last chapter is now completely obliterated and that's why I believe that I will be able to get out these chapters.**

 **Now! Since I'm probably gonna be gone for this same amount of time, maybe more, maybe less I'll do the following: The 2-3 chapters I write (I** **hope** **I'm able to write) will be posted one by one each Monday, so that you guys don't just wait for me without doing nothin'. Since the chapters are gonna be pre-written, I'm thinking of adding** **sneak peaks** **at the end of each new chapter on Wednesday. Now just remember – this is only if I'm able to write that many chapters in 3 days. I believe that I will be able but ya never know.**

 **TL;DR: You get a chapter Monday, then I edit a sneak peak for the next chapter at the bottom of the released one on Wednesday.**

 **And that was the first chapter from 'the Dragonoid' arc. This chap was a little slow, I know, but it was necessary to prepare the setting. Also, I'm really excited for the Edolas arc . There are going to be so many new things there and I have some great ideas.**

 **Sorry for the long A/N, here is a potato. *hands everyone that read so far a potato***

 **See ya all in the next chapter!**


	24. Chapter 24: The Dragonoid

**The hiatus is going to be over soon, but in the meantime, I told you guys that I had a few chapters ready for delivery. This is the first of the Mondey prewritten chapters. As I explained last time, expect an edit sneak peak at the bottom on Wednesday.**

 **Now, enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Twenty Four

The Dragonoid

"Not so fast!" Everyone turned to see Master standing on the end of the balcony of the guild. He had his hands crossed and a stern expression was plastered on his face.

"The well-being of both Fairy Tail and the town of Magnolia are tired together." He explained once he knew he had our full attention. "Preventing Magnolia's destruction takes priority over everything else!"

"But if we do that what will happen to Natsu?" Lucy asked him.

"Gramps we can't just leave him in there!" I agreed even though I didn't understand the situation fully. I just knew that Natsu was captured and put inside a metal dragon.

It was like Makarov's eyes were piercing our souls. "I'll make this as clear as I possibly can… As Fairy Tail's Master, I order you to destroy the Dragonoid before it can destroy the town. There is no need to worry about Natsu, he's as tough as they come! If anyone can survive this, it's him!"

I looked down with gritted teeth. That was stupid! But it was our only course of action. He was right, after all, the town and it's civilians take priority.

We all started running towards the oncoming metal dragon. It was already just in front of Magnolia and was that… Erza?! It was! She was hanging of off the metal dragon!

I looked towards Lucy who was running next to me. "I'm going to go help Erza!" I shouted and she nodded. I turned my attention towards the Dragonoid, which was flying above us at this point. Before I could do anything though it started to land and Erza slipped and she started falling towards the ground.

' _Blink'_

I flashed right under her and I stretched my hands out to catch her. I was successfull in catching her but my wound had to make itself know.

The shockwave from the metal dragon's landing was enough to break my balance though and I fell to the ground, Erza right on top of my wound. I winced at the pain.

Once she got a hold of herself she looked at me.

"Anora! What are you doing here, you should be in bed! You were injured severely." She scolded me.

"A 'thank you' would have been nicer in this situation." I huffed.

Suddenly, maniacal laughter filled the air. It was coming from the Dragonoid. Erza and I looked at it. A giant claw was standing right above our heads.

"Prepare to be crushed!" A woman's voice yelled. I winced. I just got away from my hospital bed for crying out loud!

To our relief, all the guild members covered us by attacking the dragon from all sides.

Wasting no time, Erza stood up and gave me a hand up. After that, all the members came to our aid and now we all faced the Dragonoid.

We quickly explained the Master's orders to Erza.

"Let me get this straight... Master told you that destroying the Dragonoid should be our top priority? But what about saving Natsu?"

"He said he was tough enough to survive this…" Lucy said almost in a whisper.

"I see…" Erza huffed and then turned around to address the Dragonoid. "Natsu! We've been ordered by Master Makarov to destroy the Dragonoid by any means necessary but before that, I need to know what you want us to do?" She yelled at the metal dragon. Lowly chuckles were heard after that, surprising everyone.

"Sure! It's about time someone asked that." Came the voice of Natsu with a slight echo to it. "Now listen up, I'm only gonna say this once so clear the gunk out of your years! FORGET ABOUT ME, DESTROY THIS THING NO MATTER WHAT!" His voice echoed through the whole of Magnolia.

Everyone was in utter surprise by his response.

"You heard the man! What are you waiting for? Let's destroy this pile of scrap!" I yelled to get everyone's attention again. The dragon was not waiting for us and we surely had no time for wasting. Everyone quickly spread out, taking positions on top of some of the buildings in the town. We had clear vision over the dragon now and we waited for an opening. I was sticking with Lucy, Erza and Happy.

Fire was spreading all around the metal construct and the buildings around it were being crushed.

"You gotta destroy this thing with me inside!" Natsu yelled again.

"I don't think that's a good idea! If we do that what's going to happen to you?" Happy yelled back, still not accepting the plan.

"Just do it would ya? If Magnolia woulda end up getting flattened because of me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself!"

"Nothing's working on it!" Alzack complained. All the magic that was directed toward it to this point, had done nothing. The Dragonoid didn't even have a scratch on it. I had a feeling that whoever made it, guessing it was that woman I heard earlier, made it so that it was like a real dragon… Meaning that only people, who knew Dragon Slayer magic could harm it.

"Please, tell me one of you has a plan?" Lucy looked towards me and Erza. Erza was in deep thought but then she looked towards me and I looked towards her. She was thinking the same thing as me.

"Let's do this, cover me!" I told her and she nodded. We started running towards the end of the roof and we jumped towards the Dragonoid.

" **Re-equip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"** Erza yelled and she was now dressed in silver armor, wings made of blades growing from her back.

I took the moment to blink near the Dragonoid's head. I was still in the air and while I was falling towards the ground, I attacked. **"Arcane Dragon Twin Blast!"** I yelled slamming my hands together with my palms outstretched. Two dancing lights, one violet and one blue shot towards the construction's head while dancing around each other. Without wasting any more precious time, I continued my assault.

" **Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle!"** I spread my hands to the sides. A magical circle appeared in front of my previous spell. As the dancing lights passed through the circle they grew in size and might and they slammed right into the Dragonoid's head, making it take a step back. My attack was followed up by a dozen swords, flying towards the purplish puff of smoke.

Before I could reach the ground, Erza flew by and caught me by the shoulders. We started flying back towards our previous destination and when we turned back to look at our handiwork we were shocked to see that the metal dragon, yet again, didn't have a single scratch on itself.

"What…" My eyes were widened and so were Erza's. Our plan didn't work. Even I couldn't harm the damn thing?!

"Yes, yes, yes! That was a mighty blow indeed but it can't match my Dragonoid's might!" The voice of that woman from earlier echoed through the city. We got back to the roof where Lucy and Happy were waiting for us.

"What are we going to do now?" I asked.

"I don't know…" Erza yet again was in deep thought.

"There's gotta be a way to beat this thing!" Lucy yelled desperately with a key in hand. Taurus was out and standing behind her.

Suddenly our attention was caught by Gray, who was now standing on another roof.

"Gray…" Erza was the first to notice him. He had one of his hands clutching his head. He was looking directly at the Dragonoid.

"Ok, I'll be the first to admit that I screwed up. But I need all of you guys to listen to me. Even though you may not believe what I have to say."

He then explained the full situation at hand. How Natsu had forgotten about his promise to the people of the silent town. He also explained that the Dragonoid could only be damaged by a Dragon Slayer from the inside. So I was only partially right and that would explain why my attack didn't work. Meanwhile, Natsu was bickering with that crazy woman in the background.

After the explanation, I really didn't know what to think… Lucy's sweat dropped while Erza was infuriated.

"Huh… Are you serious?" Lucy couldn't believe it. "How could he forget something like that?!"

Erza was clenching a fist with one hand in front of her chest and she was gripping a sword in the other. I swear, if the sword was not magical, it would have probably been broken by now.

"I swear! No matter what… he never learns." Erza fumed.

"Natsu can really be a dunderhead sometimes…" I mused. I mean you don't just forget a promise to free so many people. Come on now.

Juvia, on the other hand, had stars in her eyes and she was blushing like a madwoman. "Juvia is so relieved! Juvia knew that her beloved Gray would always be true!"

"This was the only way I could think of to make things right. But before we do that we gotta deal with Daphne and her monster." Gray stated.

"And what do you propose we do?" Carla asked. She was hovering near Wendy.

Suddenly Wendy gasped lightly and then she turned around towards the ground. "There is someone hurt over there."

Everyone turned to see the man we knew from the cake shop. We all knew him. He was a really kind fellow.

"The man from the cake shop!" Erza exclaimed, recognizing him.

"We can't just leave him like that!" Levy commented.

"Cover us!" Jet exclaimed, running towards the man.

"We got him." Droy agreed following Jet.

"Yes, yes, Lizardmen three-point-one, GO!" The woman's voice, Daphne as Gray said, yelled from inside the Dragonoid. Suddenly, about twenty green magical circles appeared and from them, lizard-like creatures came out.

"What the heck are these things?!" I asked, still not remembering this part of the story.

"We need to watch out for them, they can copy our magic but with greater power!" Lucy warned me. I winced. Now where have I heard that before… No, no time to think about that. Turned my attention towards the man who was clutching a cake in his hands. Erza was holding him, while he was lying on the ground and Wendy and Carla were next to him as well. Wendy was already treating him.

For now, the Thunder Legion were holding off the lizards while we took care of the injured man.

Wendy took a quick break from her healing. She looked up at Erza. "Uhm… I can't stand the taste of pickled plums." She lowered her head. Well, that was a random thing to say…

"Pickled plums?" Erza chuckled lightly.

Wendy looked up at Erza again with a smile. "I know that they're good for you but I won't eat 'em. It's kinda like me weakness. Everyone's got one ya know? I'm still new to Fairy Tail and I've got a lot to learn. There is a bunch of things I need to do to be a part of the guild." She resumed her work over the man's injuries. "I wanna go through more stuff with you guys. To laugh and cry. Get mad together. To go on more adventures." Every single person from the guild who was present was now paying full attention to the little girls' speech. "And I really want to get better at high-fiving Natsu." She said excitedly, with determination in her voice to which every single one of us smiled to. "So… you gotta save him." And with that, she fell over the man she was treating.

Everyone panicked.

"Wendy!" Carla ran up to her. "I knew it, you should have listened to me, child!"

Mira went to her and pressed a hand to her forehead. After a while she smiled gently. "It's ok, she just needs to rest for a while… But she is awfully low on magical power."

Erza, who was now standing up, turned to face the Dragonoid and I walked up to her.

"Surely the Master knew that Natsu's the only one who can defeat that atrocity. Why does he still want us to attack it?" She mused.

I was thinking hard too. Why would he do that indeed? And just then as if a light bulb just lit up in my head. That was it. If we could enrage Natsu, his powers would increase and he would be able to fight back. But before that, we had to deal with the lizardmen.

"Of course…" I and Erza muttered at the same time. We looked at each other and then smirked.

"Gramps told me what we need to do." Gray approached us.

"We already know." I answered for Erza. "We figured it out." The red-head finished with a satisfied smirk. She glanced at me and I nodded in confirmation.

She re-equipped in her Heaven's Wheel Armor and I ignited a violet light in my hand.

"I need you to go at the lizardmen with everything you got!" Erza ordered the others. "I and Anora will take care of the Dragonoid." The plan was perfect. If the two of us could distract it long enough for the others to wipe out the lizardmen we could then try and make Natsu angry so that he could destroy the Dragonoid from the inside. Also, while we distract the Dragonoid, it will be the perfect opportunity to look for a weak point should all else fail.

"You two sure about that?" Lucy asked us.

"Natsu's still inside that thing!" Happy exclaimed, worried.

"The Master ordered it. And besides, we must protect the city no matter the cost. It is our duty as Fairy Tail wizards! If we are to have any pride, we must be ready to defend the city and it's people, that are counting on us with our lives." I said in a commanding voice. At times like these, I got in my role as an S-class wizard. It was at times like these that hard decision had to be made. And yet, I had faith in Natsu, he could do this.

"Erza… Anora…" Gray muttered.

"They've got a point and I'm a Fairy Tail wizard just like everybody else. So…" Happy was having a dilemma. This was probably really hard on him. Natsu and him were practically inseparable.

"Brave tom-cat…" Carla muttered beside him.

"Alright, guys!" I gave the signal as the Thunder Legion finally joined us, worn out from battle. With them, the tide of lizardmen came running at us as well.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Everyone yelled and we engaged in combat.

I started running right towards the Dragonoid while Erza was flying right over me.

" **Heaven's Wheel: Scattered Petals!"** She yelled and a bunch of swords shot towards the Dragonoid.

From the ground I stopped my advance and I crossed my hands, creating around a hundred of violet arrows. In one swift motion I expanded my hands to the side.

"Now! **Arcane Dragon Spectacle!"** I yelled the spell's name and all the magical arrows that were flying in the air above me shot with immense speed towards the metal dragon. As we thought, we didn't leave a dent in it but we still continued our assault. We weren't going for power, the objective here was to find it's weak spot and the best way to do that was to hit it everywhere. It had to have one, right? Like Wendy said, _everyone_ has a weakness.

"Yes, yes, throw all your puny attacks at me! You'll just ware yourself out!" Daphne mocked us from inside the metal dragon but she didn't take any immidiate action. I guess she thought that it wasn't worth it and she would crush us when we depleted our supply of magical energy. That was good, even if we could not find a weak spot, we were at least keeping the Dragonoid distracted while the others took care of the lizardmen.

I created some distance between me and the Dragonoid to take a rest. My wound was pounding in my stomach from straining myself too hard but it was manageable. Erza landed near me. She needed a break as well it seemed.

"Only three percent more until it's fully charged!" Daphne's voice interrupted our break. That was bad. I guess that that was the real reason why she wasn't taking action. Our time was dwindling by the second. Erza jumped once again into the air and then she continued her assault. I supported her by creating as many purplish arrows as I could and shooting them at the Dragonoid.

"Where is it?! There has to be a weak point!" Erza muttered but I caught her with my heightened hearing.

Suddenly a massive roar echoed through the air. Erza was pushed back to the ground from the sheer force of the roar and everyone was clutching their ears from the tremendous sound. I was squirming on mu knees, with hands clapped to my ears. With my 'dragon' hearing this was like torture. I felt like my ears would explode.

"Dyagh! Help you guys!" Natsu's voice echoed. I was able to stand up but I was now feeling quite dizzy and my vision was woozy. I was able to focus on the Dragonoid after a few seconds. "You gotta stop me! I mean, you'll never stop me!" The metal dragon roared. "I'll destroy everything!"

"What the…!?" I was totally confused. Was he going bonkers in there? But then again, I couldn't help but notice that the Dragonoid was acting on Natsu's swings. When he yelled for us to stop him he clutched his head and when he said that he was going to destroy everything he sounded menacing. Could it be that he was becoming the Dragonoid? My eyes widened. If that were so, we were in trouble! I had only heard about this kind of magic, where it is fueled by a person's soul and magical energy. If we didn't act fast, then Natsu would become the Dragonoid.

"Destroy! Wait! I mean, destroy me!" He yelled again. "Aww man I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore!"

Erza flew back to me. And she stepped on solid ground. After that, she turned towards the Dragonoid. "Natsu!" She yelled desperately. She noticed his swings as well. This was troubling.

Suddenly, a bunch of lizardmen approached us. Erza would have none of that when a friend was in trouble.

"Get out of my way! **Heave's Wheel: Circle Sword** "As she yelled that, ten swords started circling around her and then shot towards the enemy, knocking out any who stood in front of her way. After the attack, some were still standing so I joined in the fun.

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains!"** I shouted, swiping my hands left and right as a bunch of purplish, see-through, chains erupted from the ground and ensnared all the lizardmen that were left standing. I expanded my hands to the side and then I slammed my palms together. Seeing this as my command, all the chains that had a bunch of lizardmen in a trap, put them all together in one spot with a huge crash.

Now that my opponents were on a pile one over another, I could defeat them all with one strike!

" _Perfect!"_

From my position, I outstretched my palms to the side. **"Arcane Dragon Grand Impact!"** I yelled and a magical circle formed underneath the pile of squirming lizardmen, who were chained to the ground. In an instant, the magical circle exploded, leaving only a trail of purplish and blue smoke behind.

"Aww, look at that, Anora and Erza are pretty fired up right now." Natsu's voice was heard again. Both I and Erza looked up to see the metal dragon standing in one spot not knowing what to do. It was like looking at a person with a split personality arguing with himself. And to be honest I think that that was exactly what was happening.

"Ya can say that again, I guess we'll have to just destroy them too." He commented again, this time with a more menacing voice. "You're crazy man, they are good friends of ours!"

"Don't be so soft, let's put 'em in the ground!"

Suddenly the big dragon started roaring in the air.

"YARGH! Would you two SHUT UP! If you're gonna keep arguing at least get out of my head first!"

I huffed. "Let's not get distracted! We still need to find it's weak point!" I told Erza and she nodded.

With the lizardmen defeated in our area, we once again started searching for the weak spot of the dragon. While we were fighting, something incredible happened. The water from the river around Magnolia burst into the air and it quickly started to rain. But that rain later turned into ice shards that were magical in nature. They started falling, hitting every lizardmen and the Dragonoid. It looked like the work of Juvia and Gray and with one attack they cleared the battlefield of the enemy! Now only the great beast stood. Perfect! The lizardmen were no more thanks to that attack. It was time to make Natsu angry!

"There he goes again, he is always trying to steal the spotlight from me." Natsu mumbled. "Can't help that he's awesome…" He continued. "Wish I could give that looser a stompin'!" He exclaimed before the Dragonoid roared again and started stomping the ground.

"SHUT UPPPPPP!" Natsu yelled. "Urgh… this is making me so mad! I just want to crush everything! No, I shouldn't! Yes, I should! What the heck's wrong with me?!" He shouted.

Suddenly, Gray yelled from a top a high building. "Listen to me ya pink-haired freak!"

"Whatcha say?" The Dragonoid yelled with Natsu's voice.

"Are you seriously that helpless man? It's pathetic! I should have known that you are nothing but hot air! We are getting really tired of this comedy routine you're doing in there so man up already!" Gray shouted at him.

"Come on at me Freezer-burn!"

"You know, a real Fairy Tail member never forgets a promise! You're making the guild look like we are a bunch of liars! You should show 'em how we really do it! Smash that thing to smithereens!" Gray scolded him.

"Yes, yes. So you finally reveal your true plan, Gray Fullbuster! But you're already too late to the party! You're friend, 'Salamander' is almost completely absorbed into my creation. His spirit and magic power will soon be all mine!" Daphne cackled.

"I'd already smash this thing if I could…" Natsu said. "We should be smashing that stupid shirtless jerk…" He continued.

"I'm super disappointed in you Natsu!" Happy yelled.

"WHAT!?"

"I mean what's you're problem? I thought that you're that kind of guy that crushed whatever trouble you ran into, no matter what! But now, you're gonna let that fake dragon beat you?" Happy shouted.

"Come on, help us out! Everyone from Fairy Tail needs you right now and you're just gonna give up?! We all expected a whole lot more out of you! But I guess you decided to take the easy way out and let this thing win!" Lucy joined in on the trashtalkin'.

"WHAT!? Gimmie a break Luce, you don't have to get so personal!"

"That's totally uncalled for!"

"Another for the stomping list!"

It was like there were three different Natsu's in there...

"They are right Natsu!" Erza joined in on the dissing from next to me. The Dragonoid turned it's big head towards us. "I know you got caught off guard but you lost heart so quickly!"

"NO, I DIDN'T!" Natsu protested.

"Yeah… I give up…" He whined with a defeated voice.

"NO! NEVER!"

Erza pointed the blade in her right hand at the metal dragon. "You said to destroy it with you inside, that's the very definition of 'losing heart'! It's nothing more than a pitifully embarrassing display of weakness! Allow me to give you what you've asked for! I'll put you out of your misery myself!" Titania yelled.

Suddenly, magical pressure started bubbling up in the air and with a huge roar, the Dragonoid let out a cone of fire high up into the air. The power of the shot was immense. We were lucky it wasn't pointed towards the city.

"Yes, yes, I lost all my lizardmen but this glorious power makes up for it!" Daphne was yelling like a crazy madwoman, that she was!

It was time for me to join in.

"What the heck Natsu!?" His attention was now on me. "Look at yourself. Please tell me that this is a big joke because right now you're acting like a pathetic little whelp!"

"Anora! Urgh… Not you too!"

"This is so unfair!"

"Do you want some stompin' too?!"

"Look at this! Igneel would be ashamed of you if he saw you right now! You are not only disgracing Fairy Tail's legacy but Igneel's as well! And here I thought that you were actually a mighty dragon slayer. Phuh!" My body started to glow in a violet and blue light while Erza equipped her Purgatory armor, ready to strike. "If you're going to act like that then I guess Erza is right! You really ought to be put out of your misery!"

"Ughhhhh!" You could feel the anger in his voice. Good!

' _Oh god, I sounded like Palpatine right there…'_

"THIS ENDS NOW!" Natsu's true personality yelled.

" **Oh, I bet with this kind of fire power we can finally beat Erza and Anora!"** The two others both said in unison.

"YOU AND ME, RED AND BLONDIE! IT'S TIME TO PARTY! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY FOR A LONG TIME!" The metal dragon started stompping the ground. "HAHA! YOU KNOW YOU'RE AFRAID OF ME NOW, ERZA, ANORA!"

Erza jumped with her Purgatory armor straight at him, swinging the big mace-sword towards the metal dragon's chest. "Don't ever presume to be better than me!" She yelled as she hit the big red orb in the chest of the Dragonoid. It cracked a bit but not enough. Of course, it was the big red thingy that was it's weak spot… Curse you game logic! For once I thought that it wouldn't be so obvious and it actually was...

" **Whoah! She is super scary!"**

In that moment I decided to lend her a hand. I blinked right in front of the red orb. "I already kicked your ass once Natsu! Don't ya think for a second that I won't do it again!" I sucked in some air.

" **Arcane Dragon's ROAR!"** I yelled, violet and blue particles with a white hue escaping my maw straight towards the big, red thingy. The cracks from Erza's blow elongating and spreading further as the magical roar hit it's mark. But it was still not enough! The whole construct shook and the Dragonoid took a step back.

" **And she is just as scary as I remember!"**

He was still acting up. But then something else happened. The Dragonoid started glowing in an orange hue and burn marks started forming on it's outside. I and Erza landed on the ground next to it and we both watched what would happen next.

"UGH! I AIN'T DONE PLAYING AROUND WITH YOU!" Natsu yelled, pillars of fire escaping through the Dragonoid.

' _Success! He was angry enough to amplify his magical power. The flames of emotion...'_

"No! There is too much power being absorbed! Jeez! What is going on?!" Daphne was panicking.

"ALL YOUR TRASHTALKIN' HAS GOTTEN ME MORE FIRED UP THAN EVER!" Natsu yelled.

"… It's time to make him shut up!" I couldn't hear it clearly with all the noise around but that could have only been one person. I looked up in the air from where the voice was coming.

"OH YEAH?!" The metal dragon also turned around.

It was none other than Gajeel, flying towards the metal construct. "Quit being a nuisance! **Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon: Iron Spiral"** As he yelled that, his legs transformed into a giant drill, which rotated at high speed. And with that he plunged into the cracked red orb in the chest of the beast, shattering it on impact. As the orb shattered, it revealed an inner chamber inside of it and amidst it's ruins lay Natsu.

"Gajeel…" He muttered.

"You're lucky! This didn't work the way I planned. I was hoping to sneak up in the middle of all the confusion to beat the ever loving snot out of ya." Gajeel grinned at him.

"Is that so?" Natsu adopted a grin of his own. Gajeel suddenly turned around, stepping out of the way of the hole he created. He turned to look towards the other guild members, who at this point had gotten to our location.

"Hey, Lucy! Call up you're weird horse guy! We need to get some flaming arrows in here ASAP!" He yelled.

Lucy, of course, agreed. She took out Sagittarius' key. "Good thinking! **Open! Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"** A bell sound was heard and after that Sagittarius was standing in a horse suit, equipped with a bow and some arrows, next to Lucy.

"Howdy-do my good lady?" He asked with a salute.

"Alright, guys! We need to come up with as much fire as we can!" She addressed the other guild mates. Everyone agreed.

"A perfect occasion for my Flame Empress Armor!" Erza re-equipped next to me in the flaming armor. Now she held a burning sword in her hand.

"It's all you Sagittarius!" Lucy pointed towards the hole in the red orb. "Oki-dok!" The spirit agreed.

"Hold on! I call time out! If I get any more power this thing will blow sky high!" Daphne was screaming now.

"That bone-headed chick has tarnished the dragon's reputation for nobility and grace… So teach her a lesson she won't forget!" Gajeel told Natsu as he jumped out of the small chamber. "Ha! That was exactly what I was thinking."

"Alright now! Fire away!" Lucy commanded. "Yes, indeedy. Heads up!" Sagittarius shot an arrow that multiplied while it was in the air.

" **Solid Script Magic: Fire!"** Levy joined in.

" **Re-equip…"** Bisca started.

" **Gun's magic:"** Alzack continued.

" **BLAST SHOT!"** And they both finished.

"Ui!" Reedus drew a cannon that came to life. It then shot a cannonball at Natsu.

" **Card Magic:** **Sun's Strength!"** Cana joined in.

"Hey, Natsu! I told you I owe you one!" Macao yelled as he gathered purplish flames in his hands and then threw them at Natsu's direction.

With one swing of her sword, Erza let out a cone of fire shoot out of it.

All the spells collided with each other, turning into one huge ball of fire before it shot straight towards Natsu. Before it could hit him though, I had to put the cherry on top of the cake.

I spread my hands to the side. **"Arcane Dragon Amplification Circle!"** The magical circle appeared before the huge pyroblast. Once it got through it, the already powerful blast from everyone's combined power, doubled in strength and all that fire power was sent towards Natsu.

"There you go Natsu! Eat up!" Lucy shouted. The blast was so powerful that even Natsu was affected by it but he quickly regained composure and ate it all up. You could immediately feel the effects of his meal coming in as the air around us became heavy with a magical presence. At this very moment, he had more magical power than me and I was absorbing arcania from the beginning of this whole fight… It was actually scary, the amount of power he possessed right then and there.

Once the flames subsided, Natsu emerged from the ruins of the orb chamber, totally renewed. "Now, I've got a major fire in my belly!" He announced.

I and Erza backed away to watch the chaos that ensued afterward from a distance. Whilde doing that, I could faintly hear Master in the distance, next to our guildmates, explaining to them why if we wanted Natsu to defeat a foe all we had to do is make him mad.

Heh, he was right about that. We did a good job making him mad and now all that was left was us enjoying the fireworks. "I'M ALL FIRED UP!" He yelled as a pillar of fire was created around him. It made the whole Dragonoid burn in flesh-melting flames.

"Ya say ya wanna see a dragon, huh?" Natsu asked Daphne with a flaming fist as he encountered her doll guards. With one swing of his fist, he obliterated them, leaving only a pile of ashe behind him. He broke a hole to the place where Daphne was hiding and now he was facing her.

"Let's see you try to pull that little vanishing act again four-eyes! My senses are sharper now then they've ever been." He said in a low voice. His eyes were gleaming with the lust for revenge and pain. The magical pressure around him alone could make you yield and as of right now he truly looked like an angry dragon. "I got so much power running through me, I just might explode!" He threatened.

"YOU OWE ME A BIG APOLOGY!" He yelled, raising a flaming fist beside his head. "YOU STUPID DRAGON-WANNABE!" With one swing of his hook, he obliterated the whole construct. We all shielded our eyes from the debris that came flying off from the crash of the huge beast. I and Erza walked next to the ruins of the Dragonoid with the rest of the guild. We all met in front of the big crash. As the smoke cleared, we saw Natsu standing amidst the remains of the metal dragon. Daphne on his shoulder.

"Wherever you are Igneel, I hope you saw that!" Natsu muttered to himself.

Gajeel kneeled to pick up some metal from the remains. "Well guys, it seems that the Dragonoid's weakness was…"

"Was an unstable power source known as 'Natsu'" Gray finished Gajeel's thought for him. He was standing next to Mira with crossed arms.

"Funny how that worked out, isn't it?" Mira asked in her usual cheerful voice.

Natsu suddenly threw Daphne to the side. She yelped as she was slammed to the ground while Natsu turned to face Gray, fuming. "Nyah… What's the big idea with you putting me through all that Gray!?" He asked angrily.

"It's your own fault for going around, breaking promises!" Gray yelled back.

Everyone laughed at their antics.

I clapped my hands hard, getting everyone's attention. Erza eyed me funnily from her position next to me. I turned to Gray, pointing a finger at him. "I don't care who started it!" Then I turned to Natsu, again, pointing a finger. "I don't care who finished it!" Then I raised the finger with which I was pointing at them, next to my head. "But I have only one question…" Everyone was now looking at me expectantly, with confusion on their faces.

"Can we finally go eat something because I've been going on for four days only on a few sandwiches and I'm really starvin' here? " I asked with the most depressing voice I could come up with.

Everyone looked dumbstruck for a minute but then everyone started laughing even harder than before. After a while, I joined in the laughing as well. It was good to be back…

 **Welp that's the end of the Dragonoid arc. Next up, we got the fillers to do and after that - Edolas! Yup we have finally gotten to that point where we are this close to the other world. I know that a lot of you guys have been excited for what I've got planned for Edolas and I can't really blame you, I'm just as excited!**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, review and tell me your opinion, was it good? Was it bad?**

 **With that being said, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **Wednesday Sneak Peak:**

 _I grinned a toothy grin. "You don't have to feel awkward Wendy." I said and she looked at me. "This is a party, it's meant to make you have fun, so j_ _ust be yourself and do whatever makes you laugh and have fun!" I then pointed towards my cake with my fork. "Want some cake? It's really sweet."_

 _"No thanks." She denied my offer by shaking her head. "I guess that I can try and relax…" She mused. Suddenly, Erza's head shot up from her, now empty plate, and she looked at me from her seat on the other side of the table._

 _"Anora, why don't you sing a song? Now's the perfect time to show the guild what you can do!"_


	25. Chapter 25: Party Time

**Hi everyone! I hope that you guys are enjoying the summer! I sure am! This is the second prewritten chapter for the hiatus. After so much drama going on left and right, it's finally some 'happy-fun-time' uh... time?**

 **I hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter Twenty Five

Party Time

After the battle with the Dragonoid, we told the civilians that it was safe for them to return to their homes. We had a huge feast, which I greatly appreciated. And now that we had time, I got to talk with everyone. They were all so sweet. Congratulating me on my swift recovery. Apparently, by Elfman's standards, I was a 'real man'. I even got to properly introduce myself to Wendy and Carla. We became great friends from the moment we shook hands.

Other than the feast, Master decided that we needed to loosen up some more, so sometime after lunch, he decided that it was time for some partying.

"Alright brats, I think that we have enough of a reason for a big party!" The Master yelled. Everyone, bandaged or not, screamed in excitement and joy. Master gave us a sign of silence and when everyone calmed down, he continued. "In one day time, Anora was able to recover safely and we were able to defeat a mighty foe! These occasions need to be celebrated! Always remember that we are mages and while many of your days will be sunny, others will be clouded in hardship. Peace and prosperity tampered by tragedy and heartbreak. That is why it is important for us to live our lives to the fullest! To enjoy every single moment of life and celebrate even the smallest of victories for we are never sure when it is all going to end. So, with that being said…" He put his fists in the air and with a wild smile announced. "…LET'S PARTY FAIRY TAIL STYLE!" The Master yelled again and everyone gave him their loud approval.

In the blink of an eye, music started playing from a lacrima in the background, people started drinking alcohol, laughing, dancing, screaming and just, over all, enjoying themselves.

Cana had already set up a contest table, where everyone could bid and see if they could outdrink her. Juvia was stalking Gray's every move, while Gray himself was tracking down his clothes to everyone's amusement. Gajeel was munching on some iron bolts in the background but I swear that I saw a guitar near him… Natsu and Lucy were talking to each other, while me and Erza were sitting on a nearby table, eating strawberry cake without a care in the world. Jet and Droy were trying to get Levy to dance with one of them, while Macao and Wakaba tried their luck against Cana. Let's just say that it didn't end very well for them. Elfman was yelling something about being a man next to them and then he tried his own luck with Cana… He lost too. All in all, everyone was having a blast.

Looking around, I saw that Wendy was standing awkwardly in one spot with Carla hoovering near her. I guess that she wasn't used to a big party like this. I waved a hand in a beckoning motion towards her and when she noticed me, she started walking towards the table, where I and Erza were sitting. I patted the free space on the bench near me, to tell her to sit near me. Erza was in a deep trance, chowing down on her treat that I don't even believe that she noticed the blue girl coming over with her white feline companion.

Wendy sat next to me and Carla sat in her lap.

I swallowed the piece of cake that was in my mouth. "What's wrong Wendy? Aren't you having fun?" I asked her, putting my arm around her shoulder.

"No! It's not that! It's actually pretty fun. It's just that… I've never been to a party before and I don't know what to do…" She looked down.

"It's a little barbaric if you ask me." Carla commented in an unamused tone.

"Yeah, it can get pretty hectic but that's why it's so fun!" I told her and she just huffed. I grinned a toothy grin as I turned my attention to Wendy. "You don't have to feel awkward Wendy." I said and she looked at me. "This is a party, it's meant to make you enjoy yourself, so just be yourself and do whatever makes you laugh and have fun!" I then pointed towards my cake with my fork. "Want some cake? It's really sweet."

"No thanks." She denied my offer by shaking her head. "I guess that I can try and relax…" She mused. Suddenly, Erza's head shot up from her, now empty plate, and she looked at me from her seat on the other side of the table.

"Anora, why don't you sing a song? Now's the perfect time to show the guild what you can do!"

I choked on the glass of water that I started drinking before she asked me that question. "…No… what… no!"

"Why not? Come on, it's going to be fun." She urged me.

"You can sing?" Carla asked me.

"Well, yeah, a little…" It's not that I didn't want to, I was just feeling kinda awkward doing it.

"Really? That's awesome!" Wendy exclaimed, giving me a big smile.

"Why are you so embarrassed to do it? You're good!" Erza remarked.

I huffed. "You are not going to leave me alone until I agree, are you?"

Her grin grew and she crossed her hands over her chest in a satisfied manner. I huffed.

"Fine… I'll do it!" If it was possible, Erza's grin actually rivaled that of the Cheshire cat right now… "But you owe me a cake afterward!" I added with a smug grin of my own. Might as well get something out of this.

"Deal!" Erza agreed with a nod. Then she waved at Mira who quickly ran over to the table. I turned my head to see her approach.

"Well, this should be interesting…" Carla commented.

"I can't wait to hear you sing!" Wendy exclaimed, excitedly. I gave her and Carla a soft smile. Maybe it won't be so bad?

"What can I do for you, Erza?" Mira chirped when she finally reached us.

"Anora wants to sing a song!" Erza informed the white haired girl, who looked at me with a wide smile. I smiled back.

"Really? That's wonderful! I don't think I've ever heard you sing before!" I nodded to confirm with a big smile and she pulled me from my seat. "Come on, let's get you prepared." And then she dragged me behind the curtains and into a small room filled with all sorts of instruments, costumes, and equipment.

"So… are you going to need anything for the song or are you just going to sing?" She asked me with a kind smile.

"I think that if it's accompanied by some hand-made music, the song will be better."

"I totally agree with that." She giggled gently and then she waved her hand around the room. "So, pick your poison."

"Ok, let me think… " I started stroking my invisible beard as I looked around the big room. I noticed some instruments that I was familiar with, like a piano and a violin. I even saw a red bunny costume that looked really tight? After a few seconds, though, I finally made up my mind. "Um… I'm gonna go with the guitar."

She handed me the guitar that she was using last time when she sang in the guild. I balanced the chords to suit the song I was going to sing while Mira went in front of the curtains to announce my play. Right now, I was awaiting for her to summon me.

"Good afternoon everyone!" She said with an amplified voice. "I hope that you are enjoying the party so far?" Everyone cheered loudly. "That's great to hear! And I know just the thing to make this party even better! Anora has decided to sing us a song!" The guildhall boomed with cheers.

I walked in front of the curtains as well just as Mira summond me, clutching the guitar. Everyone started cheering even harder when they saw me. Mira had already placed a chair and a microbirdophone in the center of the stage, the spotlight right over that spot.. She was standing to the side of the stage to give me space. The spotlight was now on me and everyone was watching me with curious eyes. I looked over at Erza's table to see Gray, Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Juvia, Erza, Happy and Carla waving at me. I sat on the chair and when I looked to the side at Mira, she gave me a thumbs up. I replied with a small smile.

I looked down at the guitar that I was holding.

' _Ok, don't panic. Just like I did it at home.'_

I settled in for a song from my old world, which I loved. I remember hearing it so many times and humming it my mind that I learned it by heart. And when I was finally able to practice in this world, I was able to recreate it with a guitar. That was something I was really proud of and now was my chance to show the guild what I could do.

I gently stroked the chords of the guitar gently to get into the mood and then I began playing the music. Shortly after, I started singing the song I've been humming so many times in my head before. It started out slow.

 _I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath_

 _Scared to rock the boat and make a mess_

 _So I sat quietly, agreed politely_

 _I guess that I forgot I had a choice_

 _I let you push me past the breaking point_

 _I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything_

I picked up the pace to match that of the lyrics. At the corner of my eye, I could see everyone listening with curiosity. I smirked knowingly.

' _You ain't seen nothin' yet'_ I thought as I continued the song.

 _You held me down, but I got up_

 _Already brushing off the dust_

 _You hear my voice, your hear that sound_

 _Like thunder, gonna shake your ground_

 _You held me down, but I got up_

 _Get ready 'cause I've had enough_

 _I see it all, I see it now_

Of course, I couldn't resist putting a small twist on the original song.

 _I got the eye of the dragon, a fighter_

 _Dancing through the fire_

 _'Cause I am the champion, and you're gonna hear me roar_

At that part, I couldn't resist slightly using my Arcane Dragon Roar to create violet and blue particles in the air that formed a small violet and blue dragon's head. Everyone was cheering loudly and most of the guild members had started dancing. The ones that decided not to, were moving their heads from side to side to the rhythm of the music. Even Master Makarov was listening with interest and joy. At this point, I was already playing the guitar on autopilot. I was too focused on the song and on having fun.

 _Louder, louder than a lion_

 _'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!_

 _Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh (x3)_

 _You're gonna hear me roar!_

 _Now I'm floating like a butterfly_

 _Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes_

 _I went from zero, to my own hero_

 _You held me down, but I got up_

 _Already brushing off the dust_

 _You hear my voice, your hear that sound_

 _Like thunder, gonna shake the ground_

 _You held me down, but I got up_

 _Get ready 'cause I've had enough_

 _I see it all, I see it now_

Everyone was having fun. Some were trying to sing along with me. Natsu actually used his Fire Dragon Roar as well. Thankfully he didn't blow up the place, he actually didn't overdo it for once. And I even saw a certain black-haired Dragon Slayer, bobbing his head to the music. I myself couldn't resist moving my head to the beat.

 _I got the eye of the dragon, a fighter_

 _Dancing through the fire_

 _'Cause I am the champion, and you're gonna hear me roar_

 _Louder, louder than a lion_

 _'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!_

 _Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh (3x)_

 _You're gonna hear me roar!_

 _Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh (3x)_

 _You're gonna hear me roar!_

 _Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar!_

 _I got the eye of the dragon, a fighter_

 _Dancing through the fire_

 _'Cause I am the champion, and you're gonna hear me roar_

 _Louder, louder than a lion_

 _'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!_

 _Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh (3x)_

 _You're gonna hear me roar!_

 _Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh (3x)_

 _You're gonna hear me roar!_

The song ended and I looked up to see everyone's reaction. I had a huge ear-to-ear grin plastered on my face and it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. This was probably the most fun ever. Erza was right to make me do this. She still owed me cake, though! Never forget about the cake!

The other reward I received for this was much better, though. Everyone were cheering and whistling.

"You rock Anora!" Someone yelled.

"That was awesome!" Macao agreed.

"More!"

"Encore!"

My hands were shaking from all the adrenaline in me. I looked around the guild to see everyone cheering and wanting me to sing more. And on the spur of the moment, I agreed.

"Alright, everyone! One more!" After that sentence, everything is a blur. I don't even remember how long I sang and how many songs I recited from memory. When I finally got back to Team Natsu's table all my closest friends complimented me and then expressed their awe at my singing and music playing skills. It was quite flattering. Also, there was a slice of strawberry cake waiting for me on the table in front of my seat. Best part was that even Gajeel told me that I was good! And that's something big, coming from him.

For the rest of the party, we all drank, danced, talked to each other and generally had fun. Wendy finally relaxed a bit and let herself have some fun. Even Carla enjoyed herself decpite the fact that she was pretending to be annoyed by Happy, who tried to give her a fish the whole time. They were just so adorable to watch. After me, Mira took up the stage to sing a few songs of her own, to which we were all amused. After her, Gajeel decided to make his debut, to everyone's disappointment that is.

'Course, it wouldn't be our guild if there wasn't a brawl after Gajeel's singing.

 **[After the party.]**

It was a bit after midnight when the party finally ended. We literally partied from dawn till dusk. My legs were shaking from all the dancing I did today and my head was woozy. I wasn't drunk per say but I had a reasonable amount of alcohol in my system. I walked back home with Lucy and we said our goodbyes when we reached Lucy's home. I waved her goodnight and she entered her home. I turned around and continued forward to the neighbouring house and I went inside. I went up the stares of the two-story building, to the front door of my home.

I went inside and I locked the door behind me. I took in the scenery of my home. This was the first time I saw it after the dream world and I couldn't even begin to express how happy I was to be here.

"Home, sweet home…" I mumbled as I took off the azure bag on my back and then plopped it on my desk. It landed with a soft _THUMP_.

I arched an eyebrow at the sound.

' _It shouldn't be that heavy…'_ I mused as I checked what was inside of it. When I reached inside, my hands touched something hard. Once I pulled it out and saw what it was, my eyes widened. In my hands now, I was holding my diary. I had forgotten all about it. Looking down on it, I smiled and then I placed it in a small drawer on my desk. Then I turned around and I practically jumped into my bed without a care in the world. I didn't even cared that I was still in my dress, I was just too exhausted to give a damn.

 **[Cherry Blossom Season. Anora's house.]**

Currently, I was combing my hair in front of a mirror in my room. After the victory party, I also asked Lucy to call Cancer to help me out with my hair. He agreed with a smile and Cancer was more than delighted to give me a hairdo. I ended up picking a French braid but I wanted it to be longer so in the end it kinda looked like Erza's hair when she was in her Lighting Empress armor but a bit shorter. The braid reached the mid section of my back to be more precise. I had my favourite dress from Inoreth on, paired with some long, white leather boots. Right now, I was looking myself over because I was going to meet up with Natsu and Lucy so that we can go watch the Sakura trees.

I was in an especially good mood because yesterday we got to go on a mission on Mt. Hakobe. Wendy needed some experience so we asked her and Carla if they wanted to tag along and they agreed. We were supposed to find some plants that amplified a mage's power if consumed. Of course, we found them rather quickly, thanks to Natsu's nose actually. We even got to keep some for ourselves. Good thing I told Gray to freeze them because they would have welt. Apparently, no one knew that something that grows in a freezing climate can't stand the heat. Anyways, the best thing that happened was that the plants were guarded by a Blizzard Vern or more commonly known as a White Wyvern. Of course, I'm one always for battle and the one with the beast was certainly refreshing but no. The reason this was good was because White Wyvern scales can be sold for a lot of jewel and when we defeat the wyvern we got some for ourselves. After the mission, I sold my fair share and with the split of the reward from the quest I got enough money to pay my rent for three months in the future. Hell, I could even spare for personal uses. So I got myself a lot of money, a new look, a battle and on top of that today we are celebrating the flower festival. It was safe to say that nothing could dampen my mood today!

I looked once more into the mirror and when I saw that I was all done I left my house. Natsu was already with Happy in front of Lucy's apartment but he seemed kinda down. I frowned as I neared them. It was obvious that something wasn't right.

"Hey, guys!" Happy and Natsu looked at me. "What's wrong?" I asked them. They had sadness adorning their features and now I was beginning to worry.

"Lucy's caught a cold from our last mission and she won't be coming to the party." Happy told me. The statement I had going for me before, was crushed harder than Pompeii when the volcano exploded. Apparently, something could, in fact, dampen my mood…

"Awww, that's so awful." It really was, Lucy was looking forward to this so much and now she was going to miss it.

We started walking towards the park where the party was going to be held. We were walking in silence and Natsu was holding his hands behind his head.

"Talk about a major downer." He commented. "This sucks…"

"It's really bad timing and she's been super excited about it for a long time." Happy mused.

"Mhm." Natsu agreed.

"Yeah… I feel bad for her. I hope she feels better soon at least." I agreed as well.

By the time we got to the park, everyone was already there. Rugs were already all over the ground and people were seated on them. The boys were sitting agura style while the girls were sitting seiza style. Everyone was immersed in a conversation with the person next to them. Some were eating, some were drinking. Elfman was the only one standing, shouting how flowers were manly. Mira was the other exception as she was running around, offering people food and drinks. Of course, everyone was waiting in anticipation to start the annual bingo game.

We saw Juvia, Gray, Erza, Wendy and Carla sitting together and they beckoned us to go to them. We did so and sat next to them, greeting them in the process. There was already some food and drinks in front of us.

"Where is Lucy?" Erza asked.

"Unfortunately, she won't come." I said with sadness in my voice.

"What, why isn't Lucy coming?" Gray asked us.

"Did she lose interest?" Juvia turned her attention to Natsu.

Natsu just bent his head looking down at his feet with crossed hands.

"She's got a cold…" Happy explained. "I've never seen her so rough."

"How did she catch a cold?" Erza asked.

"Have you already forgotten?" Carla sighed.

"Poor Lucy, she was really looking forward to this…" Wendy commented.

I had an idea and I lifted my head to look at Wendy. "Hey Wendy, say, can't you heal her to make her feel better?"

She gave me a sad and apologetic smile. "I already did that earlier today, but she won't be fully recovered till tomorrow."

"This isn't her day…" Happy said, holding a fish the size of his body in his paws.

I looked towards the beautiful cherry blossoms deep in thought. No matter how many times I saw them, I always felt like I was seeing them for the first time in my life. They were truly a sight to behold. And Lucy was going to miss them blossom… I though of how she must be feeling now and how depressed she probably is.

I was brought back to earth when I felt something make contact with my hand. When I looked down to my hands, which were resting on my knees. I saw a bingo card being given to me by someone. When I looked up, I saw that Erza was distributing the cards amongst our friends and I quickly took it while she offered me a gentle smile. I returned the gesture.

Not long after she gave us the cards, Master and Mira announced the begging of the Bingo Tournament. At that, everyone cheered. In the past years, I was able to win some awards and while some were kinda crappy, others were actually quite nice.

Numbers quickly started rolling out of a magical, lacrima roulette and everyone started poking at their cards, hoping to get a bingo. The game continued for a long time. Shouts of "Yes!" and "Bingo" could be heard quite often and the awards were quickly dwindling. After some time passed all the awards were almost over and I just needed one number to get a bingo. I just looked at the number in irritation.

"Number sixty eight!" Mira announced calmly as the new number emerged from the roulette. I looked down at my card and the four gaping holes and right next to them the number sixty seven. My eye twitched. Now it was just mocking me.

Of course, as luck would have it, Erza quickly stood up next to me. "I got Bingo!" She announced happily. She strode off to master and Mira to pick up her prize but was surprised when she was given a block of ice with the herbs that we picked up on our mission. She started complaining that it was something that we brought back. Well, at least it wasn't welting thanks to a certain someone's brains. I smiled proudly as she came back to her place next to me, holding the block of ice in her hands, pouting at it. She sat down next to me with frustration obvious in her features.

"Look on the bright side Erza, you can put it in your cake and it will not only be transformed into a delicacy made by the heavens but it will also amplify your power." I told her with a smile.

She beamed like a Christmas tree after that statement and then she did her Erza hug to me. By that, I mean that she slammed my head to her chest. "Anora, you're a genius!" She yelled.

At first, I was startled but since I was used to this I just laughed it off.

Everyone was enjoying themselves. Even I was having fun, even though I was still thinking about Lucy.

Next up to get lucky was Cana. At this point, I gave up on my number coming up. I accepted the fate of not receiving a reward this year.

"I've got a hunch it's over for this feline." Carla said disheartened.

"Well, maybe your hunch will be wrong this time." Wendy tried to cheer her up.

Happy's ears feel down a bit as he sighed in defeat. "We're almost out of prizes and I don't even have one row. I was hoping I could win something for Lucy so that she would have a souvenir." He looked down at his card with sadness.

Natsu who was sitting next to us had his hands crossed and merely lowered his head when he heard Happy's reasons for wanting to win. He had a permanent pout from the moment he got here. Now that I think about it, he hasn't spoken since we got here and he wasn't even playing bingo. He was taking this really hard, huh?

' _Well of course he is…'_ I thought to myself. I quickly discarded my bingo card over my shoulder without a second thought and I moved closer to him. Seemingly as he didn't even registered my presence there because he was in deep thought, I nudged him so that he can acknowledge me. That seemed to do the trick and he lifted his head towards me. "You ok?"

He just hummed. Not satisfied with that, I continued to prod him. It seemed like the others were too immersed in the game so no one could eve's drop, except Happy who saw Natsu's odd behavior too but he was well… Happy.

"You're thinking about Lucy, aren't you?" I asked him.

He nodded with a hum again. I looked down at my knees . "Yeah, she really wanted to come. I remember how she talked about the event, days before it was even near." I looked at him again. "But look, you should at least try to enjoy yourself. Do you think that Lucy would want to ruin your mood?"

He grumbled shifting in his spot a bit. Mira announced the next number and Levy, Elfman and Juvia all yelled 'Bingo' I wasn't paying much attention about that since I was speaking seriously with Natsu at the moment.

"Look, just try to have some fun ok? That's all I'm asking. I know how you feel, I worry about her too but you mustn't be so rough on yourself."

He hummed again, the pout not leaving his face. I decided to back off. He needed to think about it. Happy and I exchanged looks and I shook my head giving him a sign to leave it for now. When I turned my attention back to the tournament for some reason everyone was booing at Gajeel, who was yet again in front of everyone trying to show off his 'artistic' skills to which I laughed, but not before giving Natsu a concerned glance.

Time passed really fast and it was already becoming nighttime. The sun was now slowly dawning, creating a beautiful orange and pink scenery for all to see. By now the bingo tournament had ended and most people were treasuring their rewards. Since I discarded my card I got nothing. Happy was actually able to win himself a fish and he then tried to give it to Carla who was pouting at the fact that she couldn't win it. I had a lot of fun today, despite circumstances. For the end, everyone was now standing up and dancing under the Sakura Tress, awaiting for them to sprout their rainbow colors.

I was dancing and laughing with the others when I took a quick glance at Natsu and quickly stopped laughing. A sad smile adorned my features as I watched him still seating on the rug, same pout, same crossed position, looking at nothingness.

While I was observing him, I couldn't help but admire the fact of how much he cared about Lucy, but I couldn't go over the fact that he wasn't enjoying himself. That was just not Natsu. I couldn't stand watching him like that. Over the years we became close as a brother and a sister and siblings help each other. I tried to do everything to make him have fun today but nothing worked. I sighed to my failure and I closed my eyes. Suddenly, I opened them in an instant as a genious idea invaded my mind. This was sure to put a smile on his face!

I grinned from ear to ear as I approached him. When my shadow was cast upon his features he looked up at me, that dull look never leaving his eyes.

He grumbled again.

"You know…" I sat down in front of him. "Lucy said that she was mostly excited about seeing the rainbow cherry blossoms, not being in the park." I said with my toothy grin never leaving my features. He arched an eyebrow at my statement. "If someone was to say… I don't know, uproot one of the trees and let it sail on a boat through Magnolia's river, which mind you passes by the house of certain blonde girl, I think that that blonde girl would appreciate the sight." I finished with a coy smile while Natsu's eyes widened.

"Just a thought, ya know?" I winked at him as I stood up to join the other dancing members. I turned around for just a moment to see Natsu with a smile on his face for the first time today. I just couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. For the rest of the night, I felt extremely proud of myself.

When nighttime came, the trees' captivating rainbow colors appeared, revealing their true beauty. I always adored this moment. It was just so beautiful and serene. As I looked around, though, I noticed that a certain pink haired member was missing and another certain blue feline was nowhere to be found as well. My smile widened when my eyes fell on a particular hole in the ground amidst a group of Sakura trees. Satisfied by my work, I turned my full attention to the party at hand, to enjoy myself at this magical night.

 **[The next morning. Fairy Tail's guild.]**

I, Natsu, Happy and Lucy were sitting on a table. Natsu was munching some bread while I was drinking some tea.

"So, you're already over your cold?" Natsu asked Lucy with a full mouth.

"Yep, I'm as good as new." Lucy replied cheerfully.

"I'm glad that you're ok, Lucy!" I said with a wide smile as I put down the hot tea.

"We're glad to have you back, Lucy!" Happy agreed.

Suddenly a booming voice was heard coming from the entrance of the guild. There Master was yelling and jumping in one place in anger while Erza had her head bent low next to him with crossed hands. "Alright! Which one of you numbskulls uprooted the city's prized cherry tree?!" He yelled. "The mayor's been breathing down my neck all morning!"

Natsu and Happy looked paler than the White Wyvern we fought two days ago.

"You're gonna wish I'd kick you out of the guild when I'm done with your sorry hides, now who did it!?" Master continued to yell. I was this close to burst out laughin'.

"Gee, I wonder…" Gray said, yet again half naked.

"Gray, darling, clothes?" Juvia reminded him with a slight blush.

"Buncha morons…" Gajeel commented.

Lucy suddenly hugged Natsu and Happy affectionately, to which I cracked a smile. "Thanks you guys."

"Ugh… yeup… What are you thanking us for?" Natsu asked awkwardly, sweating bullets.

"Yeah, we didn't do anything!" Happy squeaked. "Nothing at all! We swear!"

Master stormed off to them and looked at them to which, I don't know how, but they became paler. At this point me and Lucy just stared laughing at their antics. Things were never dull with these guys.

 **Aaaaaand cut! A nice, sweet chapter, instead of a fighting scene or a bunch of drama and tears. Personally, I liked the way it worked out in the end. It was something that our main character needed. We even got to see Anora's sisterly instincts in action!**

 **For the next few chapters, I'm thinking of skiping Wendy's first mission and just mentioning it.**

 **Also, you've probably noticed the awesome new cover! Welp, it's here thanks to none other than Toritacoisawesome! Idk about you guys but I love it. It's an amazing piece of fanart. Once again, thanks Tori for giving us this fantastic pic. ^_^**

 **With all that being said, I'll see ya guys in the next chapter.**

 **Wendnesday Sneak Peak:**

 _"I'd say - if you're competing, then do it with all your strength." I watched Erza boast from my spot with crossed hands. She quickly re-equipped into a runner's gear. She had pure yellow shorts and a red bra top. She had a sweet white and red cap on with the Fairy Tail emblem on it and some nice sunglasses. "This is custom-made equipment. It keeps muscle fatigue at bay, thus increasing my endurance." She said smugly with her right hand on her hip. Everyone around us stared at her in awe._

 _"If I didn't know better, I'd say that she was showing off..." Gajeel commented with crossed hands and a sweat drop on his forehead._

 _I approached the group slowly. When they noticed me they all gasped. I think that the most obvious change for me today was my attire. I smirked as everyone looked at me in awe as well and I could also see Erza's annoyance raise as I stole the spotlight. I smirked knowingly. I was wearing a pure violet bra top with a dragon picture in white in the center. I had nice azure shorts to match the color of my powers and it also suited my top. And, I also had some sweet runner shoes. They were white with hints of blue. I put my hands on my hips. I liked my small battles and challenges with Erza but oh... Oh... today was different. We were full on rivals and nothing would change that._

 _"I totally agree with you there Erza. That's exactly why the only thing you are going to be seeing today is the dust that I will be serving you." My smirked turned into a full grown grin as I teased her. Erza's eye twitched._

 _"As far as I remember, you were the one who ate my dust last year." Erza crossed her hands and she smirked at me with eyes screaming challenge. Oh, it was so on. "Not this time, Red! This year I'm going to beat you!"I yelled at her and we both slammed our foreheads to each other, much like how Natsu and Gray did it when they fought. "You can most certainly try!" She countered._


	26. Chapter 26: The Grand Race

**Hi everyone! Hope life's treating ya well. Anyways, here is the third and lastpre—written chapter. The good new is that I'll be back in action after around 2 weeks.**

 **Also, sorry for missing out on posting on Monday, I was busy and I couldn't post the chapter.**

 **Now, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter Twenty Six

The Grand Race

 **[The City of Magnolia. Early Morning.]**

"So COOL!" The announcer yelled, looking at the crowd that had gathered in Magnolia's South Gate Park. "Good morning and welcome to the highly anticipated event! Fairy Tail's mandatory for all wizards, twenty-four hours endurance road race has arrived and we are bringing you every heart-pounding second! I'm everyone's favourite 'Sorcer Weekly' reporter – Jason and I'll be your reporter for all of today's sweet action! It's filling up fast, I hear, so you better hurry if you wanna witness what's sure to be the coolest race in Fairy Tail history!" Jason announced excitedly.

Oh yes… This was the long awaited 'Endurance Race'. I was amidst the crowd of contestants, which was consistent of every Fairy Tail wizard available. I was just standing in one spot with crossed hands and I was listening intently to Master and Jason as I awaited the start of the race. You could practically smell the testosterone in the air… Well we, Dragon Slayer actually could… metaphorically and realistically. Today was the day that rivalries blossomed and the day where you proved your skill. I have been awaiting this day since the last year's race and it was finally here!

I had a cocky smirk on my face. I WILL take first place this year!

Right about now, Jason was introducing the players to the audience, which was actually the whole of Magnolia. Little lacrima machines were flying around us and they were acting as camera's, which would track every single member's position, so if something interesting happened, every single person in the city would know.

Jason suddenly gasped. "There he is folks! The undefeated champion – lighting fast Jet!" I scoffed. Undefeated? We'll see about that. "Rumor has it that he does this to compensate for being lack-luster on quests. Scandalous!" I giggled at that. Jet on the other had was a bit annoyed.

"Hey!" He looked at Jason. "Cool it, speed demon, it's only a rumor." Jason lifted his free hand in surrender. He was holding a microphone with a lacrima attached at the end of it in the other.

"Jet's still the fan favorite… Everybody put their money on him again." Gray, who was a bit in front of me, commented. Next to him Elfman, Natsu and Gajeel. They hadn't noticed me yet.

"Hah!" Natsu scoffed, lifting a fist in front of his face. I wild grin adorning it. "Well, I hope they're ready to lose it! This year's champion is gonna be Salamander!" He proclaimed excitedly.

"Big, talking morons are sure to end up in a ditch before they get close to the finish line." Gajeel said, unamused, next to him.

Natsu's smirk just grew wider. "But those morons don't have a secret weapon like I do!" He boasted.

' _Oh? This should be interesting. Wonder what it is…'_ I lifted an eyebrow.

"Fire-breather's blowing smoke… Geez, you're such a child." The three looked at each other. Everyone accepting the challenge silently.

I could also see Lucy and Cana talking to the side. Oh, I just can't wait for the race to start!

Suddenly, I heard Master talking so I turned my attention to him. "Everyone quiet down!" He ordered, standing on a small wooden stage next to the start, a microbirdophone right in front of him. Literally just as he began speaking, the hustle and bustle that was coming from all around thanks to everyone chatting with each other, stopped in an instant. "Fairy Tail wizards know that without the proper balance of intelligence and physical endurance, they're doomed to failure. Over the next twenty-four hours, you'll use those attributes against each other." He spoke calmly, addressing everyone.

"A real man never uses his brain." Elfman commented

"Yeah, physical strength is all that matters in a race like this." Gray agreed.

"The rules are very simple." Master began. "From the starting line each of you will make their way along the pre-determined course…" He pointed at a mountain in the distance. "…ending at Mt. Igor! The summit's been peppered with heavy Wyvern Scales. You are to grab one and bring it back."

' _What? This is awesome! Instead of climbing the whole mountain, I can just blink to the top and back when I reach it's bottom!'_ I thought eagerly. _'I'm sure to win this time!'_ I arched a toothy grin.

"Once it's across the finish line, you've completed the race and proven yourself a worthy member of Fairy Tail! Never forget – forfeiting is not an option for any of you! Fairy Tail wizards pride themselves on our willingness to go that extra mile. I've decided to put some new restrictions for this year's event. After numerous complaints, I've decided – the use of flying magic is now forbidden…" He said calmly. I almost laughed out loud at Evergreen and Happy's expressions. This furthermore increases my chances of winning. "teleportation magic is also out of the question!" He continued.

My giddiness suddenly turned into a gloomy mood and my eyes widened. I was just doing my victory dance inside my head.

' _SAY WHAT!?'_

"All other forms of magic are still permitted."

' _Ok… ok, breathe… I can still do this! Last year I couldn't blink either because I didn't know the final destination but I was still an opponent who was not to be trifled with. It will be hard but not impossible!'_

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Master Makarov continued speaking.

"And whoever is unfortunate enough to come in last…" His voice was a tad bit menacing. He had a face of pure joy on his face as he announced proudly. "…Will face the most horrific punishment game I've ever devised!" Most of the new members gaped at that. I was wondering if I should laugh at their expressions or cower from the feeling of dread that was now in my gut. Whatever happens, I ain't going last. Nope. Thank you. I've experienced only one punishment game created by Master Makarov and that is enough to last me a lifetime. I shuddered at the memory.

"Is it just me, or does he only put on this event for the punishment game?" Makao asked.

"Last year was beyond sadistic." Alzack commented behind Gajeel. Clearly talking from experience…

"Quit complaining ya sissies, it's embarrassing!" Gajeel looked at both of them over his shoulder. "If only one person is punished, don't come in dead last." He told them his logic. Suddenly, the person I've been looking for all morning joined in on their conversation.

Erza walked in to stand in the space between Alzack and Gajeel. She crossed her hands. "Although there is a kernel of wisdom in your words Gajeel, your phrasing could use a bit of work." They both looked at each other.

"Ya making fun of me?" The Iron Dragon Slayer asked her. A tinged of annoyance in his voice.

Erza only smiled. "I'd say - if you're competing, then do it with all your strength." I watched Erza boast from my spot with crossed hands. She quickly re-equipped into a runner's gear. She had pure yellow shorts and a red bra top. She had a sweet white and red cap on with the Fairy Tail emblem on it and some nice sunglasses. "This is custom-made equipment. It keeps muscle fatigue at bay, thus increasing my endurance." She said smugly with her right hand on her hip. Everyone around us stared at her in awe.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that she was showing off..." Gajeel commented with crossed hands and a sweat drop on his forehead.

I approached the group slowly. When they noticed me they all gasped. I think that the most obvious change for me today was my attire. I smirked as everyone looked at me in awe as well and I could also see Erza's annoyance raise as I stole the spotlight. I smirked knowingly. I was wearing a pure violet bra top with a dragon picture in white in the center. I had nice azure shorts to match the color of my powers and it also suited my top. And, I also had some sweet runner shoes. They were white with hints of blue. I put my hands on my hips. I liked my small battles and challenges with Erza but oh... Oh... today was different. We were full on rivals and nothing would change that.

"I totally agree with you there, Erza. That's exactly why the only thing you are going to be seeing today is the dust that I will be serving you." My smirk turned into a full-grown grin as I teased her. Erza's eye twitched.

"As far as I remember, you were the one who ate my dust last year." Erza crossed her hands and she smirked at me with eyes screaming challenge. Oh, it was so on. "Not this time, Red! This year, I'm going to beat you! "I yelled at her and we both slammed our foreheads to each other, much like how Natsu and Gray did it when they fought. "You can most certainly try!" She countered. Everyone took a step back from us, sensing the animosity.

"If you're so sure that you're going to win, then maybe you wanna kick things up a notch?" I asked with a teasing smile as I tried to grab her with my hands. Unfortunately, she tried to do the same and we ended up grabbing each other's hands. It was a full on brawl now.

"What are you suggesting exactly?" She raised her eyebrow.

"We will have our own personal race. Whoever finishes second, will also compete in Master's punishment game." She started sweating but her resolve didn't waver. To be frank I myself was a tad bit scared of what I was doing here but this is just how we worked.

After a moment of hesitation, she agreed. "Fine!" Everyone around us all gasped. Apparently, the whole guild heard our exchange. They were looking at us with fear and shock.

"You two are crazy…" Gajeel muttered.

Still, in our lock, both I and Erza were startled free when Master suddenly spoke, addressing us personally. I guess he heard us too. When I looked at him he was grinning from ear to ear and he had a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"That's the spirit you two! This is turning out better than I expected! Now I'll have two participants!" He jumped in joy. Sometimes I really wondered how this grandpa figure could be so sadistic… I and Erza exchanged nervous looks but then we hardened our facial expressions. Neither one of us wanting to show weakness to the other. I nodded with a smirk and she did the same. The race was just about to begin so we took our positions.

Everyone took their spot and then took a stance.

"Ready?" Master asked through the micro-birdophone. He raised his index finger of his right hand in the air. "Bang!" Light burst out of it to single the start of the race.

In that very moment, I used my Arcane Dragon Shelter. Everyone around me were blown away or hit with rocks and dust when Jet took off. Thankfully I knew what to anticipate. I created the shield only to protect myself and now I was running in for second place with a considerable advantage over the others. But most importantly with a considerable advantage over Erza.

The very moment, that there was no threat I shot straight after him. "See ya at the finish line, Erza" I yelled over my shoulder as I ran. Looking back I could see Erza scowling as she got up. I turned my attention to the way forward as I concentrated on my breathing. I just had to keep this tempo. Suddenly I felt a burst of energy from behind me and when I turned back I watched with shock as Natsu was gaining up on me. He had fire coming out from his fists.

"Told ya guys, I had a secret weapon this year! This is my Fire Dragon Iron Fist booster! Watch out Anora, cause you ain't gonna be in front of me for long!" He yelled excitedly. Everyone else got back on their feet and were now running towards us like an angry mob… that they were.

"Ya better hope that I don't catch up to you cheater! Ya hear me?!" Elfman's voice boomed.

I increased my speed, trying desperately to go faster than Natsu. Sure I was mostly competing with Erza but that didn't mean that I would ignore the others.

He suddenly passed me with his trademark toothy grin. "See ya at the finish line, Anora!" He repeated my words teasingly and I just sneered at him.

"Oh no, you don't!" I yelled after him as he was now running forward into the distance. He was gaining speed on me and fast, so I acted quickly.

I smirked as I lashed my hands from the side towards him. **"Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains!"** Just as I yelled, two ethereal chains burst from the space between my palms. One chain for each hand. They lashed out forward, faster than Natsu and they caught him on the shoulders. The moment that happened, I grabbed the tip of the chains but I didn't pull him back.

"What the?!" Natsu yelled, looking over his shoulder at me when he noticed the purplish, see-through chains around him.

I swiftly jumped into the air and he started pulling me along with him. As I neared the ground I used my conjuration skills and I created a purplish, see-through surf underneath my legs. I landed right on it and Natsu started dragging me along with him as a horse, the surf running along the ground after him. This would not only make his endurance waiver but it was also a free ride for me… and a fast one at that.

"I'm hitching a ride!" I yelled with my own toothy grin, even more smugly than when he passed me. "Hope ya don't mind!"

He scowled but he continued running, not wanting the others to catch up. That didn't mean that he didn't try to shake me off. Since I was on top of a surf, I couldn't fairly much control it, I could only hold on. We were still in town and if he were to swing correctly I would go straight into one of the lamps… and apparently, he knew that.

I gasped as I swung directly towards a black lamppost.

I quickly caught both chains with my left. Then before the impact with the lamp, I used my right hand to create another chain, which I attached to the lamp post on the other side of the road and I used it to pull my self out of harms way.

"You gonna have to try better than that, Natsu!" I yelled as we continued forward. We were now exiting the city.

"Ugh! Now I'm all fired up Anora!" He yelled. Suddenly, an even bigger cone of fire came out from his hands, which he was useing as propellers behind him. The fire was coming straight towards me, but with my hands occupied, I couldn't defend myself quick enough. I scowled as I jumped high into the air, still holding the chains in my hands. The ground, were I stood seconds ago was now completely and utterly destroyed, covered in hot, searing flames.

While I was in the air, I pulled on the chains and I used them to gain in on him. I quickly realized that I was going to land on him and I couldn't do anything since I was prohibited from teleporting.

I winced in pain as I neared Natsu's back. He was watching over his shoulder from the moment I pulled on the chains.

"Oh cra…" We both started saying but it was too late. Milliseconds later we were both on the ground, tumbling over each other. Before we knew it, we fell into the river that was running near and in Magnolia. I reemerged from underneath the water and I looked around me.

I swear I saw three small azure dragons flying around my head as the world was shaking. Before I could know what was going on, I saw a mob of people running from the city towards us. Suddenly I became self-aware as I remembered where I was. Natsu also reemerged from under the water and we both exchanged a look as we started swimming towards the end of the river.

By the time we got to the shore the others were already running over the bridge and I realized that I no longer had an upper up and the worst part was the way Erza was smiling at me with a devilish grin. I scowled as both me and Natsu joined in on the run with the mob. He used his speed boost again but I couldn't catch him this time because there were too many people between us for me to hit him. I growled in frustration.

' _God dang it, nothing is working out for me today. And now Erza is in front of me.'_ I shivered as I tried to imagine some of gramps' punishment games. I quickly discarded the thoughts out of my head as I concentrated on the run.

We ran for a few hours before we reached the bottom of the mountain. No one was giving up and I was able to keep up with Erza. We were currently running side by side. We finally entered the rocky mountain terrain and from this moment forward, the only way was up, which would require more stamina. I guess everyone got the same idea as me because as soon as we got on the uneven terrain, everyone started using their magic to disrupt the others or to help themselves. Hole's started appearing in the ground. Iron rods started flying from Gajeel's direction. Puffs of pink smoke were coming from around Wakaba and even Makao was using his sticky purple flame to disrupt others.

I was able to not get too involved and I dodged as much as I could. The problem was that Erza was keeping up with me and she didn't even seem fazed by the things going around her. Either that re-equip was really good or she had the best poker face in the world. Now that I think about it, I would bet my money on both…

Throughout the whole ordeal, most of the members fell behind. Wakaba, Cana and Makao were last. Another group of people were in front of them. After that, me and Erza were keeping a moderate tempo in front of most people and the only people that were after us were Jet, Natsu, Evergreen, Bisca, Max and Freed.

Somehow me and Erza were ducking it out on pure endurance, no funny tricks. We had sort of a silent pact to see who would last longer. That and we both knew that if we started to distract each other we would surely fall behind.

Suddenly we saw Freed running up ahead. We both picked up our pace. It was like our running was in sink. It was both good and frustrating. It was good because we were keeping the same tempo but it also meant that we were both holding on our best for the finish line.

As we passed him I heard him muttered under his breath with a small smirk. "Seems these two aren't relying on their magic at all." I arched an eyebrow at that. He has probably used his enchantments. I guess, caution was advised.

Just as I thought about that possibility, I felt ethernanos unaffected by my presence right in front of me. They were embedded right into the earth, working as symbols, creating an enchantment.

Both I and Erza were a step away from falling into it but we jumped back at the same time, right as we were going to enter it.

"Somebody's playing dirty." Erza commented as a purple wall made of symbols rose in front of us.

"I wonder who…" I asked sarcastically as I turned around. Erza did so as well. Right in front of us now, Freed was standing proudly on a small rock with crossed hands and smirk plastered on his face.

"Impressive! You're intuition has served you well." He complimented us, but we would have none. We lost time and speed because of that act! "You may have avoided that trap but now…"He started saying smugly but he never finished. Dozen of swords were now flying around him, pointed at him. Not only that but a fair amount of violet arrows were also hovering around him dangerously.

Freed gasped in shock as both me and Erza turned around badass style. "I doubt that you'll be breaking our concentration again." I said smugly.

Erza started running on one spot. "Now I have to get my running rhythm back. If you don't mind, the two of us have a score to settle." We exchanged a glance and were off again.

"Wait! Don't leave! Erza! Anora!" Freed yelled desperately after us.

After a few more hours we passed through a forest on the back of the mountain and it was already getting late. I think that we have been running for about eleven hours. My muscles were a bit sore but thanks to my Dragon Slayer traits, I was still in the game, mostly in top notch state. Erza appeared to be just as up on stamina. Since we were keeping it low so that we could duke it out in front of the finish line the two of us were running at a mediocre pace. Because of that, at one point Gajeel was able to get a one up on us.

Heh, the truth was that I wasn't really using my all here. I mean, I used my magic only at the beginning… But so was Erza. If the two of us were to give it our all, I would reckon that most of the members wouldn't have had such an easy time passing us.

Long story short, we continued running and running and a few hours later we got to the top of the summit and took two wyvern scales. It was already night and everyone was partially or mostly exhausted. I reckon that Natsu would have a hard time using his fire all day but he was just as fired up as when I saw him last, though he wasn't using his boost anymore. Most of the members had upped their level as well and were now catching up to us.

On our way back, we were running as a group as well but now it was time to be using our most. This was the time to use the stamina that we were conserving this whole time. Back through the forest and up to the rocky terrain towards the bottom of the mountain. Right now it was only me, Erza, Natsu, Gajeel and Gray in the lead. Jet was probably already at the finish line. Everyone was giving it their all. Erza and I tripled our running pace and to the looks of it, Gray and Gajeel had done so as well. Natsu was once again using his booster and we were running somewhat evenly towards the bridge to Magnolia. It was already early morning by this time. Already around twenty three or so hours had passed and we were all feeling the effects of constant running, no sleep, no water and no food but no one was letting up

"Alright! I can finally see Magnolia!" Natsu commented from the side.

Suddenly a puff of dust was behind us. We all turned around to see what it was and to our total shock, it was Jet! And he wasn't running as fast as before. I guess that his magic power was low after running for so long and now he had enough speed to barely catch up to us.

"What the heck?! I thought that he would have finished already." I commented. I suddenly realized something very important.

"If he is behind us... that means that we've been competing for first place this entire time!" Gray voiced my discovery. As if those words gave everyone newfound strength, we all gave each other a glance of realization and we all double our speed, rushing towards Magnolia.

Suddenly Erza was engulfed in a bright light.

" **Re-equip!"** She shouted and when the light died she was still running… but in a white bunny suit… WAIT WHAT!?

"Why is she dressed like a bunny!?" Natsu voiced my concern over Erza's sanity.

"Who cares about that, she's about to beat us!" Gray commented.

"Not while I'm here!" Gajeel scoffed.

"The only thing she's gonna be winning today is Master's punishment game." I shone a wicked smile over my shoulder at Erza as she scowled at me.

Thanks to that re-equip, though, she fell behind from the four of us… What was she planning?

"Somthin's off…" Natsu said randomly, looking over his shoulder towards Erza.

"Whatdya mean?" Gray asked him.

"Doesn't she seem a little slow for a bunny?" Natsu asked.

"Maybe she just likes the way it looks." Gray sweat dropped at his own comment.

"Don't question why she is slow! It's better for me this way!" I cackled maniacally.

"That's funny, she doesn't look like someone who cares about her appearance." Gajeel told Gray.

Half an hour later we already passed the bridge to Magnolia and we were running along the streets to the finish line. At that point, Jet was finally able to catch up with us.

"If you think you're beating me, you're in for a world of disappointment!" He yelled behind us.

We were now a mile away from the finish line and it was in sight. The six of us were running along side by side. One of us getting the upper hand then another. We were all pushing ourselves to the limit here but as if it was possible, which apparently was, we doubled our speed yet again! We were so close, I could hear Jason's commentary from here!

"Jet closes the distance, just in time for the hope stretch! A six-way fight for first place! THIS IS SO COOL I MIGHT EXPLODE!" He screamed.

" **Fire Dragon Iron Fist"** Natsu yelled taking the lead.

Jet then caught up to him with his speedster magic.

" **Re-equip!"** Erza was back in her runners gear again and she caught up with them again.

' _Not gonna happen Red!'_

" **Arcane Dragon Claws!"** I yelled and my feet were engulfed with purplish, see-through draconic claws. I could feel the power boost they were giving me and when I stepped on the ground, I kicked so hard, I left a dent in it. That was enough to give me speed to catch up to them. Gray and Gajeel weren't ones to be left behind, though, so they also upped their level for the final showdown.

In an instant, Natsu's boost ended.

"Uh-oh. Natsu's Iron Fist Booster is once again out of fuel! He's out of the running for first place!" Jason shouted in the microphone.

Without it, he fell behind and now it was only the five of us in the lead, but he was actually able to catch up to us without his boost? How badly did he want to win?!

"If you think I'm letting it end like this, you've got another thing comin'!" He screamed from behind us and soon after he was once again tied with us for the first place. I swear this last one mile was longer then the whole damn race!

"Incredible! He's still with the pack! Even when he is fired up he is still SO COOL!"

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Come onnnn!" Natsu yelled as we reached the one hundred meter mark to the finish line. Victory was in sight now!

Erza was huffing like a madwoman and so was I and Jet.

"So… close…!" I was reaching my hand forwards to touch the end.

Gray was gritting his teeth so hard that I thought they would shatter and he was also growling alongside Gajeel.

The big sign 'GOAL' was a few meters away now and Mira and Gramps were holding the finish line with wide smiles.

" **THIS YEAR'S TITLE IS GONNA BE MINE!"** The six of us yelled simultaneously.

And suddenly, the unexpected happened. Natsu, who was behind us all by a few santimeteres, tripped! HE ACTUALLY TRIPPED! And he fell forward over to the next person, creating a chain reaction. Before anyone knew what was happening we were all lying on a pile on the ground, a foot away from the finish line! And now that our tempo was broken, all the accumulated exhaustion was seeping into me and the others with doubled effects. No one wanted to get up.

"All of them wiped out near feet from the goal!" Jason commented, shocked. "What's this? I think I see an underdog approaching! Or an undercat! It's Happy! He's closing in!" Jason yelled.

Happy slowly passed us while the six of watched in shock from the ground. "You're kiddin' me…" Natsu mumbled.

"COOL! We may have a new champion!"

And just like that Happy won the race. I tuned out all the congratulations and all that as the six of us stood up and were now watching with shock and mouths agape.

"How did this happen?"Natsu mumbled.

"We lost this race to a…" Gray began.

"That frikin' cat?" Gajeel ended for him.

I was now out of the shock, which was replaced with disappointment.

"You know," Erza turned to Jet. "You're not taking this as hard as I though, champ." She smiled at him.

"Well, the little guy did wake me up from my nap earlier…" He scratched his head. "I'll let em win this year, but next time I won't be as careless…" He smiled and I sighed, totally forgetting that we haven't crossed the finish line ourselves already.

Suddenly Carla and Wendy ran past us.

"WHAT ARE WE DOING?!" Erza suddenly yelled in realization.

"WE HAVEN'T FINISHED YET!" I yelled just as concerningly.

"They're gonna cross!" Natsu observed. And so they did! Carla and Wendy took second and third place. The crowd then proceeded to congratulate them.

Suddenly rumbling was felt and when we turned back to look, the whole guild was running down to the finish as one big stampede.

"Uh-oh!" Natsu said alarmingly.

"What's goin' on?" Gray asked concerned.

"Isn't it obvious!?" Gajeel said with shock and annoyance.

"If we don't cross the finish line before they do, we'll have to play the punishment game!" Erza finished for him.

"Worse, if I don't cross the finish line before Erza, I will have to play the punishment game!" Erza and I exchange shocked glances.

The stampede went over us but I was able to dodge most of the people. They ended up finishing… all of them. Thankfully I caught Erza sneaking up with them and I caught her with my chains before she did that or I would have been boned!

Natsu, Gray, Gajeel and Jet were down for the moment. I guess they didn't react fast enough.

Right now though, I was pulling Erza back with my chains. I had no strength left but I would be damned if I let her win and let me play the punishment game!

"Ugh! NO!" I yelled.

"LET GO!" She gritted her teeth and the she summoned a sword to cut the chain. I gripped her with another one and I used it to pull myself closer to her while keeping her in place.

"So COOL! Anora and Erza are duking it out just outside the finish line! Which one of them will cross it first!?"

I could hear everyone shouting something or other but I was not listening to anything. I had to beat Erza at all cost. It wasn't only about our rivalry now...We we this close to playing the punishment game.

Suddenly swords surrounded me and they started to come closer to my frame but I used my violet arrows to break them before they came into contact with me.

I got over to Erza and I pushed her back on the ground as I reached for the finish line. As she fell to the ground, she caught my foot and then she yanked me back to the ground while she stood up and tried to reach it for herself.

"No!" I used yet another chain and I caught her hand before it touched it, pulling it back and within the blink of an eye, I got up and jump straight towards her. I crashed into her back and we both tumbled through the finish line. Right behind us, Natsu, Gajeel, Gray and Jet ended with a tie for last place. Which meant…

"And the race comes to a shocking conclusion! We have our first four-way tie for last place and a another first two-way tie for the place before that!" Jason yelled excitedly.

" **SAY WHAT!?"** The four of them, Erza and I yelled in unison. Erza and I quickly stood up from our place on the ground to look at Jason with shock.

"What do you mean two-way tie!? I beat her fair and square!" I yelled at him.

"That's preposterous! It was obvious that I reached it before her!" Erza defended.

Jason totally ignored us though. "No one in a million years would've ever predicted such a dramatic outcome like the one we saw here today! Tied in last place are Natsu, Gajeel , Gray and the previous champion – Jet!" He yelled excitedly into the microphone. "And just in front of them Erza and Anora are tied for the place before the last! But it's not over for our four contestants… It's time for the punishment games! And thanks to their little deal, Anora and Erza are playing as well!" He announced to our utmost terror.

Master just stepped forward to us with the most smug smile possible. He just chuckled darkly. Even an ominous bell ring like that one in the cemeteries was heard. I swear, we were just missing the bad weather and the lightning for this to become a horror movie.

"This turned out even better than I hoped…" He said.

"We all get punished?"Natsu tried to protest.

"Oh, come on!" Gray agreed.

"Let us at least do it again for a tie-braker!" I tried myself.

"Quit complaining!" Gramps yelled. "I expected better from you. Just like real work, wizards don't get any do-overs when they muck up. You gotta learn to deal with the consequences. Painful consequences for you and fun for me!" He smiled wildly. "Yeah! Six times of fun!" He raised six fingers to prove his point.

The people around us gasped.

"Fine!" Natsu suddenly yelled, going in front of gramps with a raised fist in front of his face. "Bring it on! I'm not afraid of your punishment game! I can take whatever you dish out!"

Makarov's eyes seemed to sparkle. "That's it! Keep that resolve lad! Believe me when I say that you are gonna need it for what I've got in store!" It seemed that just that, Natsu's resolve, was faltering with each of Master's words.

He quickly whipped out a Sorcerer's Weekly magazine, with Mirajane on the cover. "Behold! Your punishment!" He yelled happily.

"I can't be the only one who's confused right now…" Gray said.

"Nope…" I agreed.

"Are we supposed to read the thing?" Gajeel asked.

"No, it's something much worse! Sorcerer Weekly will print an issue with nothing but glamour shots and the models for these pin ups will be you boneheads! That's a twenty page spread, complete with up close and personal interviews!"

All the boys screamed in shock, while me and Erza exchanged a look. We've done this before but it was never a punishment. It was something that we actually anticipated.

"Master, I don't understand how this is a punishment? We've done this many times before."

I shot her a look. At times like these a person must know to shut it! But it was too late already. Master looked at us with a wicked smirk.

"Oh, not to worry dear. After your little deal I devised a punishment specifically for you." I didn't like t all the way he looked at us. "You my dearies will be serving our honorable guest here for a week. The both of you will have to do anything he tells you for seven whole days." He beckoned at someone to come.

Me and Erza exchanged nervous looks.

Shortly after a short person came forward with a wide grin. And for our utmost horror, his name was...Ichiya

I looked at him in panic and then I looked at Erza who wasn't fairing better.

"I'm sure you already know each other so no use of introductions." Makarov smirked devilishly. Last time we had informed him of our first meeting with the man...

"Maaaan. You ladies look just as beautiful as last we met and your pafums are just as intoxicating. N'ohhhh, sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff." He closed his eyes and sniffed the air around us for about a minute. He went forward, grabbed Erza's hand and kissed it while the red—head was frozen in place from the shock from the situation. "Be sure my dear, we will have the best week you've ever had."

Erza and I, yet again exchanged looks but this time we just nodded. Suddenly Erza kicked Ichya away from us and she yelled as she started running away from the park. "Not happening!"

"You'll never take us alive!" I yelled behind me as I ran after Erza. Seconds after, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel and Jet started running after us with Jason and Ichiya quickly behind them.

"Wait! I still need to measure you!" Jason yelled teasingly at the boys.

"Not happening!" Natsu yelled back. The boys caught up with us.

"But you're gonna look so COOL!" Jason pressed.

"My dear sweet roses, I will trace your pafums to the end of the world." Ichiya yelled after us with a dreamy voice. "And then we shall have a great time together. You're going to love it so much, that you will want to prolong our time together. Maaan."

Erza and I just shuddered at the thought, not answering the crazy little man and we kept on running and running, not stopping for anything.

 **And thus the pre—written chapters end. Next chapter will come out when the hiatus ends. That means no sneak peakas well :c**

 **The good news, on the other hand is, that from the next chapter we start our journey to Edolas, so that's something. A lot of new things gonna happen and the thing everyone is excited about — we are finally gonna meet Anora's future exceed. Yay! It's gonna be so cewt...*evil smirk* or is it. Welp, one way to find out. *back to innocent smiling***

 **I'll see ya all in the next chapter.**


	27. Chapter 27: Edolas

***Violently kicks down the door. Walks inside like a bad-ass and plops down the suitcases in his hands on the floor.* I'M BAAAAAAAACK EVERYBODY! I'm actually not dead! And with this, the hiatus finally ends! *insert hallelujah sound here* So the old schedule will not be back right away because as of right now I will have to go shopping for school and yadadada. Also, school hours are gonna be different so I need to see when I will have time to write. With that said it won't be a few weeks until the next update, so don't go ruining that hair of yours now. I can't say how often I'm gonna be updating until I get accustomed to the new schedule at school and with all the shopping and the review exams happening so the least I can tell you is that I will be trying to write the next chapters in my free time.**

 **With that being said, hope you enjoy the new chapter, which is all about the introduction of the highly anticipated EDOLASSSSS ARC! Hope you like it. :P**

Chapter Twenty Seven

Edolas

Today was going to be a seemingly boring day. As of right now, I was stuck in my home while outside was pouring rain like there is no tomorrow. The sun was nowhere to be found. It was like night in the middle of the day. I was lying in my bed with hands outstretched. I hated boredom. If only I'd just stayed in the guild instead of coming back to take a shower after a solo mission, now I would've had at least some company. I was just out of the bathroom and I was in my blue tee with the white dragon emblem on the chest area and some panties. I sighed loudly. Right now, I was reliving all the hectic days that passed.

First was the week from hell, where me and Erza had to serve Ichiya. I shuddered involuntarily at the thought.

' _Nope stop thinking about that! It's over now! Never again!'_

At least the days that followed weren't so… traumatizing. No, the days after that horrid week were actually pretty awesome. Gildarts was finally back from his century quest and everyone was super excited.

* * *

 **[A few days back.]**

The church bell rang throughout the whole of Magnolia. There was no mistaking why that was. Gildarts was coming home! Not seconds after, the loudspeakers flew over Magnolia, ordering the civilians to take positions for the 'Gildarts shift'. I couldn't hide the large smile that was plastered on my face. While Gildarts and I didn't meet very often back in the days and we didn't have something special like him and Natsu, I still respected the man a lot.

"What in the heck is a Magnolia-Gildarts shift anyway?" Lucy asked with a thoughtful expression.

Mira, I and Erza were standing behind her.

"Step outside and see for yourself?" Erza smiled. I beamed like a Christmas tree behind Lucy. I couldn't wait for her reaction.I couldn't help but remember my own. There was a lot of screaming and yelling involved. When I first saw the Gildarts shift, my mouth was practically to the ground.

Wendy and Lucy went in front of the guild doors and looked in awe as the city started splitting apart to give way to a single person.

"Are we having an earthquake?" Carla asked, shocked. After the shift was over, Magnolia had shifted in such a way that there was a path leading straight for the guild, like a highway. The path was surrounded by huge walls, which hid the buildings on the sides of the path.

"Magnolia… just split in two!" Lucy pointed out, yelling.

"A precautionary measures for Gildarts' crash magic." Erza explained.

"Yeah! Ya don't want that guy touching anything valuable." I added with a grin.

"Since he destroys everything that he touches, it's much better for everyone if he stays clear of their homes and businesses." Mira explained like it's nothing.

"Like he just walks right through them!?" It was safe to say that Lucy was shocked. "You modified the town just because he's clumsy?!" She shouted.

We all nodded like it was nothing and Lucy deadpanned.

"That sounds amazing!" Wendy said in awe.

"Yes…" Carla's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "…amazingly stupid."

When he finally came through the guild doors, everyone beamed at him. Of course, Gildarts being himself didn't recognize that this was even the guild he was looking for. After Mira told him the truth, he started freaking out about how we've all changed and how the place looked really nice. Then he threw Natsu to the wall when he attacked him like it was nothing. Ya know, same old, same old. The really shocking thing… was that he hadn't finished his quest. He actually gave up! Gildarts actually gave up on a quest. Everyone's jaws just dropped when he told the Master the news. After that, he said that he wanted to rest a bit and he blew up a hole in the guild just so he can make a shortcut to his home. Yeah… the guy hadn't changed one bit. Before that thought, he said that me and Natsu should go visit him. He said that he had a present for us.

And so we did. Me, Happy and Natsu went to his house early in the afternoon.

"Wow, maybe he brought me some rare fire from another kingdom or something." We were just about to reach his home and Natsu kept on guessing what he had for us.

"Yeah I wonder what it is!" Happy asked with a dreamy voice. If I knew that cat as well as I thought, I would guess that he was imagining some kind of fish right about now.

I just shrugged, not really sure what he had brought us. I was actually surprised he called me as well. I mean we had our fair share of moments with the guy. I told him my life story throughout the times we met. Once, I was really bored and he asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him and I had agreed. Of course, he was not expecting my fishing skills to be so effective. Living in the woods for years can do that to you. We've laughed together in the guild and told each other stories but that's just about as our relationship goes. So, I wonder why he brought me a present as well.

When we finally reached the old man's house, he told us the true reason why he asked us over. He started by asking about how Natsu and Lisanna were doing and that opened some old wounds for Natsu. Needless to say, the conversation got very awkward very fast. But then he told us about his mission. How he fought a fierce black dragon and how it almost took his life. He told us that he was the reason that he failed his mission and he told us not to follow him, whatever we do.

Natsu was sad and angry to put it lightly. He stormed off from the house to god knows where after a heated argument with Gildarts. I tried to calm him down but he wouldn't listen. After he bolted from the house, Gildarts asked me to go find him so that he won't be alone.

I didn't need further convincing as I bid my goodbye to Gildarts and then I started running after Natsu's scent. It took me far away from town, towards the rocky terrain, to the nearby mountain, near the city. By the time I caught sight of the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, the sun was already going down.

I found him sitting near a river and looking at his reflection and I felt really bad for him. He seemed really depressed and he wasn't supposed to be like that. He was Natsu, the one who could make the sun envious of his bright smile and childish demeanor. He wasn't supposed to be sad and broken.

He didn't even notice me creeping slowly towards him. When I got near him, I just sat near him without saying a word and I slipped an arm around his shoulder to hug him. We talked a bit and I tried everything in my power to comfort him. Thankfully he just needed some time to cool down. Right then and there I was feeling terrible, knowing that part of the fault for his state now was mine. For not telling him the information that he has desperately searched for a decade now. We stayed there a bit and we talked and afterward, we got back to the guild to meet up with the others. By that time, Natsu was back to his old self.

The next few days were not interesting at all. We just sat in the guild doing nothing and enjoying ourselves. The others from our small team were taking a small break from missions. Unfortunately for me, my friends didn't know that I was going crazy from doing nothing. I was never one to sit in one place for long. It was like I needed to do something to keep me occupied. It was like an itch that I had to scratch and if I didn't it would only grow worse.

And so, I decided to take on a solo mission. It wasn't some big, really dangerous mission like those for my S-class status. I decided to do something small, just to keep me occupied. There was one mission on the request board the was perfect. I just had to go to the neighboring city and help them out with a few Vulcans that were causing trouble in the woods near the city.

It wasn't anything hard but one of Vulcans was able to punch me while I fought them when I least expected and I was thrown into a pool of mud. There was around fifteen Vulcans in total so it was no surprise that one of them would sneak up on me while I wasn't watching. The fact that I was disturbed by the fact that most wanted me for their wife was not helping the situation as well. After I kicked their butts and yelled at them to get my frustration out, I got back to the city to inform the mayor of a job well done. The conversation was really awkward due to the fact that now I was even dirtier than the creatures I fought but thankfully the mayor didn't comment on the matter.

* * *

And that brings me to the predicament I'm in now. After what happened, I wanted to take a shower as fast as possible but now I was stuck at home. I groaned as I sat up on the edge of my bed. My feet bumped into something and I looked down to see my guitar resting on the side of the bed.

Having nothing else to do, I picked it up and I started to practice. Suddenly, lighting struck the center of the city and earsplitting thunder followed it. I've seen a raging storm before but that was really powerful. I was actually startled by the loud noise. I stopped practicing and lay the guitar on my bed and I went to look out the window that was in front of me.

"What the!?" I was shocked to see the sky whirling around like a huge vortex. In the middle of the tornado thingy there was a huge gaping whole and through it, a light beam shot towards the center of Magnolia. Lighting and thunder followed suit after and strong winds started whirling around the city.

"Crap…" I mumbled as I realized something. Gildarts was back… and not after those events, there was... that meant this was the gateway to Edolas. The Anima!

I gasped as I saw the winds pick up pace and the houses around the raging storm starting to dematerialize. Without any hesitation, I blinked out of my house and I bolted towards the guild. I don't know what I was trying to achieve but I had to do something dang it! I looked around as I ran, the thunder was so loud to my dragon senses. The wind was now so strong that it was hard to move and the particles that were flying around from the destroyed houses was flying around like a thick fog. Small pebbles and rocks were flying upwards and a white light was illuminating the city as if it was moonlight on a full moon. Thunder was blazing around and I was desperately trying to reach the guild.

All the houses around me were glowing in a white hue and then they started to disappear. Inch by inch, every building, ever construct, everything living or not being decostructed, particle by particle in front of my very eyes. Just then, a huge explosion was created near me and I lost my balance. The strong wind picked me up and threw me around for a while.

I was trying to regain my balance but it was no use. I just embraced for the worst and I closed my eyes because it was almost impossible to keep them open in this wind.

Before I knew what was going on, I found myself on something soft. There was no more thundering sounds, no more wind. Just complete and utter silence.

I opened my eyes and I found myself half buried in some soft white particles. It was something like snow or ash. Bubbles were flying in the air without a care in the world. I looked around and I panicked as I saw the whole of Magnolia… gone. I quickly broke my buried legs out of the snow-like substance that was rather hard and I stood up to look around.

Weren't some of the guild members supposed to be here? I remember that some of them had survived but where were they. There was no one here. Not even crickets. The silence was so unnerving that if you stayed here for more than a day you would probably go bonkers.

I walked around aimlessly for a few seconds, just scanning for any form of life.

"Hello?" I had my hands to my mouth to amplify the voice."Can anyone hear me?!" I shouted with all my might. My voice echoed through the barren dessert that was now in place of where once stood Magnolia.

Nothing.

Complete and utter silence. And then...

"I'm glad to see that you made it out alright." A calm voice said behind me.

I quickly turned around with new hope in my eyes. A shadowy figure moved slowly towards me through the small fog of ash and dust. A few staffs lay on his back in different shapes and he wore a long black cloak. But unlike most of the time, his face was now not masked. It was none other than Mystogan.

"Mystogan!" I said, relieved.

"Hello, Anora. I see that you no longer hold any grudge against me."

I sighed heavily, looking down a bit. "No. Sorry about how I treated you back at the cathedral. I was going through a hard time back then." I looked him in the eyes again and he just nodded. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Sadly, I do." He then took the time to explain it short to me. Even though I already knew what was going on, I listened to him carefully. He told me that I had to go over to Edolas and help free our friends who were turned into a giant lacrima to which I agreed on the spot. Apparently, my friends would be freed only if the lacrima was broken with Dragon Slayer Magic. Talk about a coicidence.

"We must make haste. If we are to save our friends we have to be quick about it." He finished. "I'm sorry but I cannot spare the time to explain it further. The entrance to Edolas will soon close. It will be up to you to find any survivors and save our friends. I already sent Lucy there so you might want to look for her."

I nodded slowly.

"You'll need to eat one of these before you go." He held up a small bottle filled with tiny red balls. He tossed one at me and I quickly ate it. I didn't feel anything different so I don't really know…

"I will remain here to look for any other survivors. Now, we can't delay any longer." He held up one of the staves on his back and pointed it at me.

"You might want to find some more suitable clothes while you're on the other side, though… It will help you go around without attracting unwanted attention." He said like there was nothing wrong in that senctence.

I looked down at my clothes and I, just now, realized that I was still only in my tee and my panties. My face lit up like a Christmas light.

"No, wait!?" I yelled at him, extending my left arm towards him, but before I could reach him, everything turned white.

In an instant, the land around me came back. But it was a lot different. It was sunny and warm. Huge chunks of rock floated in the air like floating islands. Water was moving around them mystically, going up and down. Most of the trees that were in my vision had nothing to do with the ones back on earth. And after what seemed like a forest, there was, what looked like, a small town. But the most interesting thing was the other planets/moons thingies that was so close to the atmosphere.

Of course, one would be asking how I was able to see all that.

IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS FREEFALLING FOR THE PAST FOUR SECONDS TOWARDS SAID FOREST FROM EARLIER NOW AND THE GROUND IS CLOSING IN REALLY FAST.

I involuntarily screamed as I flew towards the ground with lighting speed. Apparently, Mystogan forgot to inform me that there would be an itcy-bitcy problem with my transportation like, oh I don't know... THAT I WAS GOING TO FALL DOWN FROM GOD KNOWS HOW FAR UP IN THE SKY!

I was almost near the top of the trees beneath me already, so I had to act fast.

" **Arcane Dragon Guardian Wings"** I yelled and instantly, huge, purplish, see-through, draconic wings shot out from behind me. They were not attached to my back but thanks to my magic it was as if they were and while I couldn't use them to fly, I could use them to slow down enough to glide through the air instead of plummeting to my death. I positioned myself to be upwards and I spread my wings apart to catch as much air as possible, while I concentrated on the path ahead.

For some reason, though, it felt as if that took so much more out of me than usual, I wonder why? It was as if I had just cast the spell about ten times instead of just one.

Not one second, there was, of course, another problem. For some reason, my magic was unstable here. I couldn't stabilize my speed that much but it was definitely better than what I was going with before. Unfortunately, just as everything was going alright, I heard a loud crack behind me.

My head shot back to my magical wings and I was shocked to see large, still spreading, cracks on both of them. My eyes widened as the cracks reached the end of the wings.

"What th…" Before I could even finish my sentence, the wings shattered into millions of tiny purplish particles that flew all around me. It was like in slow motion as my brain processed that now I had nothing to help me land safely.

I quickly started falling down with renewed speed. Thankfully, I was just above the trees and I fell on a few branches that stopped my fall. I was bouncing from branch to branch until I finally fell to the ground with a loud _THUD._

I landed on my back and I opened my eyes to see the sky above me. I lifted my head and held my right hand to it to relieve the pain that I was now experiencing. Thank the lord for my half-dragon features or this could have been much worse than a few bruises and cuts. I stood up, dusted myself and I looked around. From what I remembered, I saw a small town not far away from here. And so I started walking in the direction I presumed was civilization.

It seemed like a normal wood area but also different. My nose was overflowed with all kinds of different scents and the flora was nothing like I've ever seen. There were gigantic trees with leaves bigger than myself. Small purple bushes and even blue grass. And from what I remember rom the show... I probably didn't want to meet the natives of this forest aka the wild beast that were bigger than a small village.

"Why was my magic unstable back there." I mumbled to myself. It was like I was just beginning to learn Arcane Dragon Slayer magic back with Inoreth. But there was something else as well. Usually, I could feel the ethernano around the air. It was like a constant presence that I grew attached to. But here, it was somehow more... barren. Somehow more... lonely from my perspective. I would have to check that out later.

I couldn't let my guard down, though. Through the passage of time, the only memories that I retained for Edolas were that it had a castle and a monarchy system like on Earthland. There was that one place where the exceeds originated from and I think Erza was bad here. Oh, also everyone has a double.

' _WAIT A MINUTE!'_ I suddenly realized. _'Originally there was no double for me so does that mean that I will be the only one without a double or will I somehow, mysteriously have one?'_

After having numerous conversations with myself (I'm totally not insane. Honest.) and walking around the forest for a bit, I finally saw something in the distance. It looked like the small town I saw while I was having a grand time falling from about four thousand meters. As I walked towards it, I couldn't fail to notice my horrible choice for attire. I was still only in my panties and my tee. This was going to be so embarrassing. My worst fear incarnate.

I gulped as I proceeded to go towards the small town and out of the forest. I was just out of the woods. At the entrance of the town, I spotted two guards with spears, who stood proud.

' _I guess it would be a good idea not let them see me like this. I mean…'_ I looked down at my arm to see my Fairy Tail emblem. My T-shirt had small sleeves so it was all in the open for everyone to see. As much as I remember, Fairy Tail were the 'bad guys' here so I shouldn't just go about like that. Also, I really didn't want people in that town thinking that I'm a stary or something. With these clothes... I sighed.

Just then I saw it. I little bit to my left, not to far in the woods, there was a small hut, just sitting there. It had a nice small garden and a place where someone could put their clothes to dry. As much as I didn't like the idea of stealing, it was for the greater good here. There were some clothes on display and I just had to get something more appropriate to dress in.

' _Dang it.'_ I thought to myself as I neared the hut. On a small cord, between two wooden posts, rested a few good clothes to wear. One of them was a big violet dress with hints of azure and white.

' _Jackpot! Girl clothes.'_

When I took it in my hands without pulling it off the cord, I saw something interesting. It was my size and it looked the same like the one Inoreth had given me. It was just a little bit different here and there but mostly it was the same if not for the color swap. It waved heavily on my consciousness to be stealing this but I had to.

I pulled the dress off, it was dry enough so that was a plus. The better thing was that it had long sleeves so it would hide my mark. I felt a bit nostalgic as I thought about my old dress from Inoreth. Right now, it was God know where. This was one adventure I would have to go without it. It made me really sad but it was what it was.

The one thing I failed to notice, though, was the fact that on the end of the cord there was a small bell attached to it, which rang as I pulled down the dress, thanks to the vibration it created. I winced as the sound echoed through the forest.

Suddenly, the door on the hut opened to reveal a man in his forties. He wore a small white cloth with light blue ornaments on it and black trousers. He had light blue hair and deep blue eyes that were scanning me right now. I gulped as I looked at him, failing to remember that I still held the dress.

He took a step forward. His deep blue eyes boring into my very being. His hands were crossed on his chest.

"Who are you?" He asked me in a deep, manly voice that was actually quite familiar and… that scent… _no…_

I guess I hadn't said anything, still holding the piece of fabric in my hands. I dared not say anything, not because of the predicament I was in but because of who he might actually be…

The man's eyes narrowed at me. "Look, I obviously caught you so you can stop thinking of a way to get out of the situation. Either tell me why you're trying to steal something precious from me or I can just call the guards and we can settle this the hard way."He said pointing towards the the city gates, where the two guards were still standing a good few hundred meters away from us.

I gulped. I closed my eyes, I hadn't realized how tense I was. I opened my eyes with renewed courage and I looked him straight in the eye.

"I-I'm not from around here and on my way I lost my…" I looked down at me. "Well… everything." I turned red like a tomato. The man didn't seem to mind. Oh, my, god, he said that the dress was something precious to him. It was probably his daughter's or wife's. He arched an eyebrow. Technically what I said wasn't a lie. I was from another world aka 'far away' and The Anima stole everything from me save the clothes on my back… which is why I was in this predicament now. "Sorry for trying to steal it but I can't just walk around… like this…" I awkwardly waved around my body with my free hand. "I needed something to get by." The one thing I learned from this was that if you tried to make an excuse why you were stealing something, it sounded horrible no matter what you said...

He held his gaze over me for a few seconds but then he let out an exasperated sigh and his tense body relaxed. He beckoned me to come inside. "Come on in. You can tell me the whole story inside."

"Eh?" I was ready to do anything ranging from running like a madman to fighting, to blinking out of existence. I even made custom scenarios in my head. The one thing I did not expect though was that he was willing to hear me out before he judged me.

"You're obviously in the need of help. Come inside with me and tell me what happened. If I deem that you are not lying to me, I will be willing to help you out." He said plainly, like it was the most obvious choice. Which for an intelligent man it probably was...

I hesitantly obeyed, leaving the dress back on the cord. Inside the hut, it wasn't who knows what. It was a small but comfy place with a fireplace in the middle. Not something you could brag about but a place you could proudly call home… It was oddly… nostalgic.

There was a sofa and a small glass table in front of it. He gave me a sign to sit down on the sofa and so I did. He then wordlessly entered another part of the house. A few seconds later he came back with two cups in his hand. He sat on a chair in front of my position, on the other side of the small table and he gave me the cup filled with what seemed to be freshly brewed tea.

I looked at it questioningly and when I looked up to the person in front of me who was drinking his hot drink, he nodded and placed his own cup on the table. I carefully took the cup in my tea but before I drank it I sniffed it a bit. It didn't smell like any kind of drugs or poison was in it. (Hey, you can't judge me for being cautious!) Since my strong smell developed, dad taught me how to distinguish different things with my nose. It was quite helpful in certain situations like these. Once I deemed it safe to drink, I did so and was surprised to feel incredible afterward. The tea was very, very good. After that, I placed the cup back on the glass table and looked at the man who had his eyes narrowed down at me. I believe that he saw my little test there. Carp... Thankfully, he didn't comment on it.

"Now, tell me the whole story." He said calmly. A good listener could easily pick up the demand in his tone, though.

I steeled myself and told him mostly everything. I lied that I was a traveler who walked around all over Edolas and I was recently attacked by bandits. They took everything away from me and even tried to do some heinously immoral things to me, hence the missing pants. I was blushing madly at that part but the man seemed unfazed. And yet I was somehow able to escape from them. And after a few days of walking around the forest alone, thankfully evading the creatures of the forest until I found myself here. I used my bruises and cuts from the fall to make the story more believable. I was actually surprised that I was able to make all that up in the nick of time. Beside the lie that I spew out then and there I also told him about the guild and all my friends in there. He asked me some stuff about myself and I hesitantly answered him honestly. I didn't even notice how time flew by. With all the questions he asked me, two hours had passed just like that. It already seemed like dawn was approaching. The sun was going to hide itself soon.

"I see…" He said cryptically. "So now you need some clothes so you can not only pass through the streets dressed decently but also to hide that you're with the Fairy Tail dark guild." He motioned towards my emblem, which I had forgotten that even existed. I was too caught up in the moment. Thanks to the man's scent and voice, I just had an inner feeling to trust him but I totally forgot to hide my identity in the process. Whoever he may be, it was not the person I was attached to.

And so, my blood froze as I heard him say that.

"I-I… N-No… I mean…" I stuttered as I looked into his iron gaze. And then I noticed it. A door to another room was opened, barely showing a raft full of medals and awards, his demeanor, his poker face, the way he was like... interrogating me in the room. The man looked like someone who has been dealing with a lot of this shit in his life. Everything was just screaming military. And as far as I remember, Fairy Tail were sort of terrorist here.

My eyes widened and my skin turned pale as I realized that I majorly screwed up only a few hours after I got here. "Y-You're w-with the military." I stated. It came out more as a question thought.

The man in front of me grinned, a rather toothy grin. "Was." He corrected and then he chuckled.

"Huh?" I asked in disbelief.

"I _was_ in the military. I no longer serve due to…" For a moment there it seemed like he was reliving something painful. "personal reasons." He turned back to his steel gaze and looked into my eyes. He still held that one smirk that was so very familiar. "So how did you find out?"

"The way you carry yourself. Also, the view of the other room helped." I motioned towards the other room and he threw a quick glance before his gaze landed on me again. "It was just an educated guess." I said slowly, rather uncertain how I should be acting right now. I still couldn't trust him fully and I shouldn't let my guard down. His smirk only grew wider, though.

"Hump. Your observant." He complimented.

"So… Aren't you going to hand me to the authorities now?" I asked with narrowed eyes, fully prepared to escape at the first sign of trouble.

"Do you think that I'm going to give you over to them?" He asked me curiously.

I thought about it for a second. This was all so very familiar. I felt a smirk creep on my face as an answer formed in my mind. "I guess not. You wouldn't have wasted your time talking to me otherwise. You would have either drugged me with the tea or the just out-right caught me when I least expected it by now. After all, I'm pretty sure that the first thing you saw was my emblem." I stated in 'a matter of fact' tone.

The man crossed his hands in front of his chest as if he was proud? He had a huge smirk on his face.

"Observant _and_ sharp. So you were testing the tea before? I like you." He complimented yet again. As everything else, it felt oddly nostalgic coming from him. Yet, I was still not convinced. Something was missing. I was more or less wanted from the kingdom for just having the emblem on my shoulder. There was probably a hefty price if someone turned over someone from Fairy Tail so why wasn't he going to do it?

"And why is that?" I question him suspiciously. He wasn't telling me something.

"It is true that if any Fairy Tail member is caught, the authority must be warned. They claim that they are a dark guild, evil people but I am not your next mindless puppet. I have a head on my shoulders that was given to me so that I can use it. That is why I brought you here, to question you. If you were to show any malice or dishonesty, I would have thrown you to the city guard myself. I will not condemn a good person. And while you did lie to me a few times throughout your story it is obvious that you are not some twisted and evil-minded person that needs to be locked behind bars. You say that you and your friends are good people and I believe you." He said.

I stared at him wide-eyed. He had actually caught me lying to him? When I got my heightened senses ticking, I remember dad teaching me how not only to use my nose but to also use my hearing. If I were to concentrate really, really hard, I could lock down a certain person's heartbeat and use that to see if the person was lying or not. It was a hard technique that can't be done on a whim. I'm guessing that the guy in front of me right now, did exactly that. If my suspicions are correct then it wouldn't be hard for him to do it. I don't know if the guy was too trusting or if I've become so paranoid that I had to question everything but I still thought that he had a feeling that that was not the only reason he was helping me.

"B-But you can't just trust me like that? I mean I could have been just manipulating the situation so that you can trust me?"

"Did you?" He asked me with an arched eyebrow.

"No…" I mumbled.

"Then I believe you." He said, smiling. I was dumbfounded. He just... but... what...

"Very well…"He said a bit amused. He probably noticed my disbelief. I believe it was rather... obvious. "You could say… that I have some personal grudges with the military here, which are one-sided of course." He told me. I guess that that would be a thing to tip him off on helping me. I couldn't help but wonder what happened well… except, the fucked up things that are already happening in Edolas that is. Like I don't know… turning people into magic lacrimas? Yeee, that could really put off a person with high moral standards. "So... with all that out of the way..." He said, beaming. "What is your name?"

"Anora…" I held my hand up to him with a smile. I guess I could allow myself to trust him. He hasn't given me a reason not to and if he does, I can simply escape. Which reminds me… I have to check my magic. I don't want what happened back in the woods to happen in the middle of battle, which I knew was coming. Before he grabbed my hand, just for a second, I saw something similar to pain flash across his face. Did he know the 'me' from here if there was one? "…Ontrix." I quickly added. The pain from his eyes quickly disappeared as if my last name changed everything.

He took my hand and shook it firmly. The smirk he wore earlier was back on his face and it was shining like the sun. For and old geezer, he sure knew how to look young.

"Anora…" He tested it. But it was more like he was remembering something rather than repeat a strange name. "A nice name. I would be glad to help you out, Anora." He said motioning at me. "My name is…"

"…Inoreth Dawnseeker."

 **DUM DUM DUUUUUUUUUUUM. Ok, maybe I'm overreacting. I bet everyone figured it out before it got to the end. So yeah, I pulled a Porlyusica on you guys. But yeah, as you see, in the Edolas arc, we are going to be taking a fully original path until Anora meets with the others! Which story-wise is not gonna be more than one chapter probably, but I hope you like the change of scenery from the known to the unknown. Also, I'm really giddy right now because I'm only scratching the surface of what I've got in store for Edolas.**

 **Here is some hints:**

 **1) WAIT WHAT - I** **NORETH IN EDOLAS, WHAAAAT? - backstory?**

 **2) THIS IS EARTHLAND UNIT ONE CALLING FROM EDOLAS, MAGIC WHY U NO COPY WELL?**

 **3) _'Wonder if I have a double?'_**

 **4) Is dat a flying kitty kat?**

 **You make your own conclusions and theories on them. :P**

 **Until then, I'll see you all in the next chapter. Byeeeeeee.**


	28. Chapter 28: Reunion

**Ok! First off - sorry for the long overdue chapter. My schedule is just too full right now. I've been trying to learn how to draw, so that takes a few hours of my day. Right now school is crushing me with exams and I'm trying to train as well, so yeah... As much as it pains me, this year won't be as fast as the last one. Before I had about two to three hours of free time to write and now I find that time being shorten to less than an hour. That's why I won't be able to go back to the old update time - it's physically impossible unless I skip some of my other activities. Right now, I'm not going to say how fast I'm going to get them out since last chapter I promised it won't be weeks 'till the next update and yet here we are...**

 **Now! No further delay! I hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Twenty Eight

Reunion

Right now I was in bed. In a hut in the woods, near a city filled with soldiers that want to capture me. In the third world I've been since I know myself and right the next door of the guest room was the twin double of my adoptive father.

No one could blame me for not being able to sleep right now.

I was just reviewing what had transpired this day.

After Edo-Inoreth's little interrogation, he decided to help me out. After we established some basic trust towards each other, he went to prepare dinner and asked me to help him. While he refused to give me the dress that I had gotten, he did give me a nice, long sleeve, green T-shirt and a pair of leather shorts.

When we finally had dinner he gave me the real shocker. He admitted that he knew that I was not from around here. He told me about the military's plan of converting people from the other world into lacrima so that this world could be charged with magic, which apparently was very limited. They had warned them that the targets for the next anima would be 'copies' of the members of the notorious guild Fairy Tail. I actually felt stupid for not noticing the huge lack of ethernano in the air. I guess that's why my conjuration abilities aren't working well enough since I don't have enough material to work with. Actually, now that I think about it, the signs were everywhere…

' _Stupid!'_ I thought to myself.

He also told me that that was the reason he left. The immorality of it all. It drove him away, hence his willingness to help me save my friends. But the bigger shocker was that, apparently, he has an adoptive daughter aka 'Edo-ME', who is still serving and she is actually the right hand to the current captain of the second magical warfare unit, whatever that is. He didn't really comment more on Edo Me and I didn't press since I saw that that was a sensitive subject. Other than that, I really didn't know what to do with that information.

An evil me?

…

Oh _yes_ , I can definitely see that.

...

But in all seriousness, I can't see myself harming another for my well fair. I mean, I love magic as much as the next person, don't get me wrong but I wouldn't hurt an innocent to get it… Never! Would Edo-Me really do such a thing?

Besides that, he also told me how things worked around here. He told me about the monarchy system and above that, the exceed monarchy system. He told me how the guards worked and he even told me some things about the King.

Apparently, the currency system here was the same as on Earthland but unfortunately I didn't have any thanks to my hasty departure.

All in all, that night was very informative. I was really thankful to Edo-Inoreth for helping me out. A part of me wanted to stay here forever but I knew better… He also told me that this would not be a good place to stay for long so he offered to supply me with money and a cloak for me to try and reach the capital and find the giant lacrima, where my friends were now encased. He said that with some luck I would be able to free them.

He shared with me that the anima's crystallizing effect could be reversed only through Dragon Slayer Magic to which I grinned and told him that I was in fact - a dragon slayer.

And that's how I got to my current location. In the bed. Tomorrow, I would start my journey to the capital. He told me that right now I was on the outskirts of Sycca. And the Royal Castle was a world away to the east. I hadn't really cared. No matter how long the journey was, I would make it if it was to save my friends.

I also noticed the fact how close me and Edo-Inoreth became for such a short amount of time. Before going to bed for the night we had talked casually about ourselves and I even showed him my magic. I yawned loudly and tucked the covers closely towards my neck. When the mistrust barrier was broken, it was like we both wanted the other to be something more than a passing face, which we both knew would not be so. I found myself feeling really happy around him even if he wasn't my own Inoreth, he was still the old geezer I cared for even if he was in a different form.

' _Ughhh, I really need to stop using this time of the day to think so much. Come on brain, tomorrow's a big day and we need rest…'_ I forced my mind to go blank and I forced my eyes shut.

Before I knew it, I was drifting off to lalaland.

* * *

I was at the door of the small hut with my new clothes, a full belly, a few credits, a bag on my back provided from Edo-Inoreth and a cloak to hide my identity, since Edo-Me was apparently really popular…

"Have you thought about what you are going to do when you reach the Royal City? Edo-Inoreth asked me as I was about to leave.

"Honestly? No… I'm actually pretty damn clueless. But… I'll think off something along the way. I usually do that. What can I say, improvising is my thing." I said with a beaming smile.

Edo-Inoreth was not amused, though. "You have to take this seriously. Normally, I would never send someone to a suicide mission such as that but I know you. Well... only in theory, but you still showed me that you can take care of yourself. You can do this. And you even told me that you are a Dragon Slayer, which will help you greatly in your quest. Just be sure no one discovers how you look, ok?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." I smiled at him.

"Promise?" He raised an eyebrow as he stood with crossed hands over his chest.

"Promise!" I shot him a toothy grin and he gave me one of his own.

Before I could do anything else, he quickly embraced me. More like bear hugged me right as I was about to leave. At first, I was shocked but I quickly returned the hug.

"Be careful kiddo." He said next to my ear.

I smiled lightly as we backed away from each other and I turned to exit the house.

He told me to go through town and try to find myself some transport. It would be a lot faster but there was always the risk of someone finding out who I was since Edo-Me is well know here. Also, there is all that 'motion sickness' situation... And so, with a bag over my shoulder and a cloak on top of me, I started my quest to free the others. I was about fifty meters away when I looked back at the small hut where I found someone who I had wanted to see for a very long time and now I was just walking away from them… Right at the door, leaning on the wooden structure was Edo-Inoreth, smiling and waving goodbye at me.

I waved at him as well and I turned back to look at my path. I looked down at my chest and I pressed an arm to my heart. It won't be much long 'till I get to meet the real deal again.

The entrance to the city was now in sight. Apart from the cloak, I had from Edo-Inoreth, I also thought up a sort of a disguise for myself. If only it would work.

' _Ok, don't fail me now.'_ I opened the palm of my hand and I brought it up in front of my face. I felt what little ethernano there was around me and I used it with great effort to create a purplish, see-through mask that was now lying on my hand. It looked like a porcelain human face only more... purplish. In the shadow of the cloak, it wouldn't be too visible.

It was fragile but it would do the trick.

I put on the mask and I continued walking towards the city. I passed through the gates and between the two guards that were chatting with each other. Seriously, they suck at guard duty! I mean come on, I even created a mask and they didn't even look at me. Ya know what, I won't look a gift horse in the teeth.

I started walking around the streets of the town that looked more or less like any normal city down on Earthland but it was… more technological? More like my old world?

Suddenly, a strong wind picked up and a huge shadow was cast on the ground. Everyone looked up to see what it is and to my surprise, it was an airship!

Everyone around the streets gathered up to look what was happening and guards were running around muttering something about not being left behind. I slowly moved through the thick crowd, trying to listen in on what was going on.

Some of the guards showed up, surrounding the area and everyone scrambled. I ducked behind a stone column and continued to observe as the airship started descending towards the center of the city.

While I was watching them unload some cargo, a blonde girl started running towards them with what seemed like a golden key? WAIT! Lucy?!

" **Open, Gate of the Lion – Loki!"** She shouted. She swung the key in her hand vertically in front of her and a blue magical circle appeared before her. With a puff of smoke, Virgo was standing now in front of her. Wait, but she called for Loki?

"Virgo!?" Lucy yelled, shocked.

"Please forgive this intrusion, princess." Virgo replied.

Suddenly, I noticed the four other figures that caught up with Lucy. It was Natsu and Wendy with Happy and Carla! I found someone!

"What's going on here and where is Loki?" Lucy asked Virgo.

"Big brother is currently occupied with a date. He cannot be summoned at the moment." She replied casually.

"Um? Big brother?!" Lucy asked her, shocked.

"Yes, master Leo requested that I refer to him in that manner." She replied nonchalantly. Wendy and Natsu were watching dumbfounded next to them and I had an anime sweatdrop. All the while no one was paying attention to the soldiers who got out from their initial shock.

"Has he lost every ounce of sanity he had?!" Lucy yelled. The soldiers who were present at the scene were now rushing towards the group, shouting in between each other to capture them.

"Now what am I supposed to do? I was counting on Loki taking them all out and make me look like a powerhouse!" Lucy confessed.

"Princess, if you allow me, I believe I can fulfill that role… With the power of interpretive dance!" Virgo said and then started awkwardly dancing in one place. Ooooooookey, this was getting really weird really fast.

"GO HOME!" Lucy shouted at her. No good. It looks like only Lucy has magic and she is having trouble. I have to do something.

I jumped out from behind the pillar I was hiding behind and started charging towards the rushing soldiers. Everyone looked at me strangely and before anyone knew it, I slammed my fist into one of the guards' face and then kicked another one in the stomach. A fight began and Natsu, Wendy and Lucy quickly joined me in trying to kick the guards' ass. It didn't end well.

After Lucy's failed attempt at her magic, Wendy and Natsu tried to use some kind of items to fight back but they were quickly apprehended. I was the last one standing. All the guards surrounded me now, while a few stayed behind to guard my friends. I looked around myself cautiously, prepared to act.

"Who the heck is that?!" Lucy shouted.

"I don't know…" Wendy replied.

Well, if this doesn't end well, at least I can keep my pride in the fact that I had a good disguise. The situation was dire and if I couldn't count on my magic, I would need a weapon. Something with which I could fight from a distance.

´ _Come on, come on. I can do this.'_

" **Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains!"** I shouted, extending my hand to the right and a single purplish, see-through chain erupted from the ground right to my outstretched arm. I caught it's end with my hand and I pulled it out completely from the ground. I then waved it above my head and tried to slash at my opponents with it as if it were a whip. I used even more magic into creating this chain so even if it was made from fewer ethernanos than usual, it should still be strong enough not to break. I hope...

"Wait, that magic? Could it be?" Lucy looked at me from her position. She was pressed to the ground, a guard pointing a spear to her throat.

"Anora?" Natsu asked.

Time for a dramatic reveal! In one swift motion, I threw the cloak away and I made the mask disappear, revealing my features.

"Hey, guys! Need a hand?" A wide grin gracing my features. It looked like the guards were in shock from my appearance and I used that to slash at the guards who had pinned my friends to the ground. Once they were free, we all got into a group, our backs to each other as we looked at the amassed guardsman that were surrounding us. They were slowly creeping towards us, now devoid from all shock.

"How did you get here?" Lucy asked me.

"I reckon it's the same way you did seeing as you can use your magic like me." I told her.

"Now that you're with us, we can show these guys a beatdown! I'm all fired up now!"

"Aye, sir! Lucy was totally useless but now that you're here, we're saved!" Happy beamed.

"HEY!" Lucy yelled at the blue cat.

"My magic is kinda not working here well… I really don't know if I can take on all of these guys." I eyed the guards that now had some kind of blue, energy shields out and were closing in on us like a huge wall that was trying to squash us. "Nope, definitely can't…"

"WHAT!?" The others yelled and I winced. Yeah… I had done goofed.

Just as the guards seemed like they were going to strike, a magic mobile drove with insane speed toward us, driving into some of the guards and scaring the rest away. The magical transport stopped right in front of us and when the dust from the wild driving was cleared, we saw the Fairy Tail emblem on the car.

"Who's driving the magic mobile?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know but it's got Fairy Tail's emblem on it so I say hop in first and ask questions later!" I yelled.

One of the windows of the red car with painted flames on it came down to reveal a teenager with a red jacket, pink hair and a pair of goggles.

"Lucy thought you might need a lift. Hop in!" What I presume was Edo-Natsu, said.

We all quickly jumped in the vehicle, ignoring the fact that me and Natsu were not in a great relationship with transport.

"Fasten your seatbelts kids, we're riding hard. Go fire!" Before anyone could do a thing, the car speed up with great speed and my stomach was quick to protest. Lucy was seated at the front next to Edo-Natsu while me, Wendy and our Natsu were on the back seat. Happy was in Lucy's arms while Carla was in Wendy's.

Wendy got a sympathetic look when she saw how me and Natsu were leaning on each other, ready to relieve ourselves of our breakfast.

Once we were finally out of town and were driving to some sort of a desert, everyone relaxed.

"We made a clean getaway and now we get to cruise right across the desert!" Happy said, excitedly.

"Thanks a lot for the ride." Lucy told Edo-Natsu.

"Yeah, you just saved our lives." Wendy chimed in.

Me and Natsu just moaned pathetically.

"No problem. My pleasure." Edo-Natsu said with a deep voice. If it was any deeper and I was blindfolded, I could have seriously taken him for Batman… "My wheels are way faster than that piece of junk airship. Huh… Then again, there isn't a vehicle I couldn't leave in the dust." He said and removed his goggles.

Everyone but me and Natsu gasped.

"I'm kind of a big deal around here. They call me 'The Fireball'."

"NATSU!?" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

"Huh..? It's… me?" Our Natsu asked slowly.

"Y-you guys… don't tell me… you're that s-slow." I mean come on, he had only his goggles on and the pink hair isn't actually a pretty common thing.

"Well, I mean, he's nothing like our Natsu..." Lucy said, turning to me. Then she turned to Edo-Natsu. "This _is_ actually crazy. You _really_ are nothing like our Natsu!"

"And you're nothing like my Lucy, except for the looks of course." He looked back at Natsu and me. "So is puke face number one back there your 'me'? Talk about pathetic. And who's puke face number two? She kinda looks familiar but I can't quite put her."

"My… name's…" A huge lump of bile wanted really badly to escape from me but I held it back. "…Anora…" I said sickly.

For a second his eyes widened and he showed traces of fear, but he quickly changed that into an impassive mask.

"They're usually not like this. They're just not very good with vehicles." Wendy explained to Edo-Natsu.

"Just don't ruin the upholstery, all right?" He turned to look back at the road. "I can't imagine. They wouldn't call me 'Fireball' the courier wizard if I tossed my cookies from sitting in a car."

"How are you able to drive this thing without an SC plug attached to your arm?" Happy asked the driver.

"What are you talking about?" Wendy asked.

"The SC stands for 'Self Energy'. It converts magic power into fuel so without one it shouldn't be able to run at all." Carla explained.

"Then again, I guess since people in Edolas don't have natural magic power, they don't need SC-plugs in their vehicles." Lucy thought out loud.

"Does that mean that this thing is running on another power source?" Wendy asked.

"Fascinating…" Carla said, in her usual monotone voice. "Though they are lacking in magical prowess, Edolas has made great strides when it comes to vehicles."

Suddenly, Edo-Natsu hit the breaks… hard! Me and Natsu hit our heads in the seat in front of us while Wendy and Lucy were able to hold their ground somewhat.

"Ughhh…" Both me and Natsu moaned in pain. Great, now my head was throbbing as well. Just bleeping dandy!

"Are you trying to make me kiss the dashboard?" Lucy asked, annoyed.

"Wow, you people sure are ignorant." Edo-Natsu said calmly.

"Huh?"

"Since magic power is a limited resource. That means, things like magic fuel are equally limited. It's nearly impossible to get a hold of. Long story short, I can't afford to take you any further." Edo-Natsu explained. The he looked sternly at us. "So get out!"

"Huh?!" Everyone but me and Natsu exclaimed in shock.

Edo-Natsu looked back at us. "If I keep burning through fuel, I won't be able to make it back to the guild. Thanks to the Fairy Hunter, they had to change locations again recently."

I actually didn't give a single damn. The car was stopped and freedom was a door away. Me and Natsu burst out of the car with the happiest expressions, leaving the door open.

"Hello, solid ground!" Natsu tapped the ground beneath him with his foot and raised his fists in the air. "I've come back to life!" He yelled.

"I could kiss the ground right about now!" I said cheerfully. Breathing out a sigh in contentment.

"I'll hand this to your me and Anora. They know when it's time to pick up and move on." Edo-Natsu told us. Our Natsu flashed him a toothy grin.

"Now then, get out!" Edo-Natsu said and it was as if the car itself threw out our friends. "If ya wanna take on the kingdom then I won't stop yeh. Just don't go dragging my Fairy Tail into it."

I snorted. "Yeah… cause _your_ Fairy Tail isn't already involved with the kingdom." He totally and completely ignored me… Jerk.

He looked away, an annoyed expression on his face. "I only helped you cause of Lucy." He looked at our Lucy and she looked at him with a soft expression. "Not you, _my_ Lucy. I could never turn her down when she asks for something. So thank her for your rescue. I don't want anything else to do with ye! For me…" He looked dreamily at the front window. "Driving is all that matters!" He said with a straight face.

"… You did not just say that… that was so… I don't even know what to say." I told him and the people around me nodded. Our Natsu decided he was not done with Edo-Natsu, though, so he went to the car and leaned on the top of the opened door with his right hand.

"Hey!" Edo-Natsu looked at him. "Hm?"

Before anyone could say anything or protest, our Natsu grabbed the other by the shoulders and started dragging him out of the car. "I wanna talk to you for a second!" Our Natsu said as he dragged him.

"No! You get your hands of off me right now!" Edo-Natsu was panicking.

"Sorry, but I gotta have a nice heart to heart with myself."

"Would you cut it out?! Let go of me! No! I can't get out of the car!" Edo-Natsu was thrashing and yelling.

Finally, our Natsu put him on the ground and loomed over him menacingly.

"Now tell me…" Our Natsu started with a deep voice.

Everyone was expecting the worst when…

He crouched down to Edo-Natsu. "Why didn't you get car sick?!" He said, pouting.

"Eh?" I asked deadpanned. I don't know what I was expecting but... it wasn't _that._

"That was your big beef?!" Lucy yelled at him, while Edo-Natsu covered his face with his left elbow and right palm as if someone was going to strike him at any moment. He started wimpering and trembling.

Everyone looked at him, worriedly.

"I…I…I don't know why." He said, removing his elbow from in front of his face. There were tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry! Please, don't hurt me!" We all loomed over him with wide eyes.

"Huh?" Everyone from our group exclaimed in a unison. Dumbfounded to the last.

The six of us just stared at him while he whimpered on the ground.

"What the…" Our Natsu tilted his head. He went up to Edo-Natsu, poking him with a finger.

"Uhhh… Are you the same 'other me' from just a second ago?" He asked him.

"Yes! Of course, I am the exact same guy! But people say that I'm a different person behind the wheel." Edo-Natsu answered.

"That's an understatement." I said sarcastically. Still, I couldn't help but feel bad for him. If it was a mental disorder for him it would be a totally different situation.

"This world's Natsu is a total scaredy cat!" Happy exclaimed.

Edo-Natsu suddenly caught his head with his hands and whimpered. "Please! You guys are freaking me out. Don't scream."

Our Natsu just looked at him weirdly and his eyebrow started to twitch.

"It's just like looking into a mirror, isn't it Natsu?" Lucy mocked him with a sly grin.

I just couldn't sit here and not do anything. I ignored the others' mockery and went to the whimpering, curled in a ball Edo-Natsu and kneeled next to him. He was slowly inching away but I stopped him. I put up an arm around his shoulder.

"Ok… shh… don't worry now. No one is going to hurt ya. Got it? It's just us. Your friends from Fairy Tail. Ya know? We may be different but we are still part of Fairy Tail and we never hurt our own. So calm down. Ok?" I said, nodding with a warm smile on my face. He looked at me in the eyes as I spoke to him. For a moment I think a saw a hint of fear in his eyes and he hesitated for a bit but after a while, he calmed down. I ended our little hug and I sat next to him on the ground.

The others gave me an approving smile.

"T-Thanks. You know, you are a lot nicer than the Anora, I know." That peaked my interest but I didn't push him. He was in distress right now and I was pretty sure that I was going to find out what he meant soon enough.

"I'm sorry, though. I really am. But this is as far as I can take you." Edo-Natsu told everyone.

"How come?" Our Natsu asked him.

"The only reason I came in the first place is because _my_ Lucy told me I had to."

"Aww, well you don't have to do anything that scares you." Wendy smiled at him.

From the position next to me, Edo-Natsu lifted his head towards Wendy. A hopeful expression on his face and a warm smile.

Carla crossed her hands and lowered her head. "We definitely don't have room for a blabbering coward in our team."

I shot her a look.

"Don't be rude!" Wendy told her.

"Hey, what's your name? I bet it's Wendy, right?" Edo-Natsu asked with a soft tone.

"Right!" She answered excitedly.

"Oh wow. You're such a cute little girl." He then tilted his head to our Natsu, who was sitting next to him. "And you are Eartland's version of me?"

Our Natsu looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you just now figuring that one out?"

Happy stepped forward towards him. "Well, my name is Happy." He gestured towards Carla with one of his paws. "And this beauty here is Carla." Carla on her part turned her head away from Happy and Edo-Natsu with a soft _Hmpf._

"And I'm Lucy." She lifted her hand. 'But you already know my name, don't cha?" She said cheerfully.

Edo-Natsu quickly crawled between me and our Natsu and hid behind his car. Only his head poked out so he can speak with us.

"Sorry, I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you." I he started bowing to her?

Lucy looked at him deadpanned.

"Geez, Lucy. Give 'scared me' a break, would ya?"

"The Lucy that I know from here..." He whimpered. "…told me I needed to bring you this far… so, I did." Edo-Natsu said, pointing at the end of the cliff. When we went to see what he was talking about we found out that we were actually just above the Royal City.

"Is that the place?" Lucy asked.

"I think that's the Royal City. Nice!" I exclaimed.

"This is awesome, we'll be busting our friends out in no time!" Our Natsu chimed in.

"They are all there, trapped inside a giant lacrima." Lucy said.

"Not for long, they ain't!" I added with a toothy grin.

"We mustn't waste time!" Carla said, and she started walking down towards the city below.

"Hold on a second." Wendy ran after her. Lucy and Happy went after them as well with me and Natsu just behind them.

"Thanks a million buddy!" Natsu turned around and waved at his Edo-twin.

"Buh-bye~" I turned around to wave at him as well.

"Say hi to me for me!" Lucy yelled without turning back.

We were just gonna continue on our merry way. "Hey, wait!" Natsu and me turned around since we were the only ones in earshot. The others were already on their way.

"You really doing it? Fighting the kingdom?" He asked.

"I don't know, we are just trying to get our friends back." Natsu said.

"Yeah, we don't want trouble. But if the kingdom tries to get in our way, I guess we'll have to show 'em why that's a really bad idea." I winked at him.

"Yeah, what she said." Natsu added.

For a second Edo-Natsu looked at with wide eyes in astonishment, but then he looked down in what seemed like shame.

"Well, I hate to be saying this, but you can't beat them…"

"If I had a jewel for each time I heard something like that, I probably won't have problems with my rent for a lifetime." Both me and Natsu grinned widely at him.

And with that both Natsu and me ran after the others to catch up with them.

It was time to save our friends.

 **I really hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter because I pulled out my hair while writing it. I wrote this chapter 5 time. FIVE TIME! (I just want to stress that out) I was so determined to write it, that I wrote at 2am in the morning, used up my whole Saturday and Sunday but I never really liked how it turned out. I always got to 5000+ words and I was like "But that just doesn't fit in UGHHHHHH.." *presses the delete button* *goes into a corner and cries for 5 min* *starts writing again*By writing it 5 times I mean 5 different variations. I had one where Anora is in the city near the Royal one, I had one were Anora fought Edo Anora and etc... It just never felt right. That's one of the big reasons this chapter was delayed so much. In the end, my motivation was just crushed to smithereens. But thankfully, I'm kinda happy-ish of how it turned out on the 6th go. (Thank the Lord!)**

 **Sorry for the bitchiness, I had to let it out. xD**

 **Here's to hope it won't be like that ever again. See ya all in the next chapter. Bye!~**


	29. Chapter 29: To Save Our Friends

**Finally able to update again. Sorry for the lack of updates. I got really sick for a week and that led to me having to work double time to keep up in school and that led to me having extremely little time. So, without keep you waiting anymore:**

 **Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter Twenty Nine

To Save Our Friends

I was just taking a bath in the hotel we were staying in after catching in with the others. Heavens know I needed it. Thinking about what we saw today, I really needed a way to relax.

After we left Edo-Natsu we were able to enter the Royal City undetected. It wasn't anything like we were expecting. The city looked nothing like the sadistic and dark place I was expecting it to be. Everyone was so happy and cheerful. It was almost disturbing.

After walking around for a bit we found a gathering of people and we decided to investigate. To our total shock we found that it was a meeting held by the king to present the giant lacrima that was in the middle of the city.

Right then and there, I remembered some more about how it all went down. In that lacrima, Erza and Gray were trapped while the others were somewhere else in a much bigger one. I had tried to remember something more but I failed to do so. In the meantime, I completely and totally ignored the words of the king until he broke a piece of the lacrima with his staff. We all looked at him with wide eyes from the crowd. If it weren't for me and Lucy, Natsu might have done something extremely stupid that moment.

After we had enough of the king's lunatic bickering and maniacal laughter, we found a hotel to stay for the night. I had to put a disguise on again so as to not be recognized.

And here we are now. Thinking about our next move.

I stopped the water and wrapped myself with a towel. I exited the bath and into the main room to find everyone slouched down while Carla was writing something on a piece of paper with a determined look on her face.

Suddenly, Natsu, who was looking out the window, started marching towards the front door.

"I can't just sit around like this forever." He said, agitated. "I'm storming the castle."

"That won't do any good." Carla told him.

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

"Without a solid strategy, you don't have a prayer of saving anyone." Carla explained. Natsu stopped in his tracks, obviously annoyed by the truth in Carla's words.

"That and you don't have any magic." I pointed out.

He gaped at me for a bit and slowly his eyes filled with realization. He slumped down on a chair, looking absolutely defeated.

"But still, they were turned into that crystal and we don't even know how to change them back." Wendy said in a whisper.

"Actually, we do!" I said and in an instant all eyes in the room were on me. All completely wide.

"We do?" Lucy asked me.

"Yeah, Mystogan told me when he sent me here, didn't he tell you too?" I asked her confused.

"No!? He didn't mention anything about that!" She explained.

"So how do we do it?" Carla asked me.

"From what Mystogan told me, the only way to free our friends from the lacrima is to use Dragon Slayer magic on it."

"That's great! We can just go down there and free them all! Your magic might not be strong right now, but it's still Dragon Slayer Magic!" Lucy beamed.

Natsu suddenly jumped up and fist pumped the air. "Alright! I'm all fired up now! Let's go!"

He started running towards the door. I held my towel with one hand and caught his scarf with my other hand, pulling him back and forcing him to fall on his bum.

"Hey, what was that for!?" He whined, rubbing his bum as he stood up.

"It's not that simple." I told them, receiving a _huh_ from everyone in the room. I exhaled deeply.

"For one, the lacrima is heavily guarded. Even if we manage to somehow sneak past all the guards and I'm able to use my magic to free them, no one is going to be able to fight back since no one from our world would be able to use magic here. We would be outnumbered and captured again."

"Oh…" Lucy's hopeful expression turned sour.

"Two…" I lifted two fingers in the air. "Carla said it herself today, the lacrima is missing a piece. Even if we manage to free the people inside this lacrima and somehow miraculasly escape, the other lacrima piece is probably going to be made even harder to get too. And to top it all off it's not even a big piece that we have here. It's probably two or three people in there max."

Again, everyone was staring at me with wide eyes.

"What do you mean? That thing was huge." Happy asked.

"Yeah, it was, but you have to take in account that the whole of Magnolia was taken. The whole lacrima is probably gonna be as big as the Royal City, more or less. And the cherry on top is that we don't even know where it is."

Everyone looked down as realization slowly crept in.

"So we are back to square one again, huh?" Lucy said to no one in particular.

"Seems so…"

"Hmmm. Maybe we could try and infiltrate the castle and get to the king. If we can get to him we can force him to free our friends from captivity." Carla suggested.

"Put a knif to the king's back and force him to do our bidding?" I raised an eyebrow. "Could work..."

"But how are we going to go near him? He always has a lot of guards surrounding him." Lucy asked.

"With this." Carla held up a piece of paper with what looked like a map drawn on it. We all gathered in front of it to look.

"What is that?" Happy asked.

"It's a plan to get in range to the king. As any paranoid ruler, when castle was originally constructed there was a tunnel which was built as an escape route which links up with the mineshaft just outside of the city wall." She explained.

"There is? But how do you know about it?" Wendy asked.

Carla closed her eyes and poked her head with her paw. "It's just in my head. Coming to me in little bits and pieces. From the moment we first set foot in Edolas it's as though I have a mental map that's slowly being filled in." She explained herself.

"Well, my head is still empty…" Happy said sadly to the sidelines.

"Wait, wait, wait…" I shook my head and everyone turned to me. "Am I missing something?" Of course I was. Happy and Carla originated from Edolas but I shouldn't know such facts so it's better to question them. They never did tell me this little fact when we were exchanging experiences from Edolas. Well I guess it's only fair since I didn't tell them about meeting Edo-Inoreth. I think that that's information that would harm us more than help us.

"Oh right, you weren't with us when we found out." Lucy told me.

"Happy and Carla are actually from Edolas." Wendy said.

"Really?" I feigned confusion. I was feeling slightly guilty for lieing to them so openly but in the end, it was for the greater good. I hope. As long as everything goes as it is in the anime, everything will be fine.

"Yeah and ever since we've been here Carla's been getting back her memories but Happy hasn't." Lucy said and Happy looked quite saddened by the revealed truth. "Now, back to the plan! If we find that tunnel then we have a real shot at getting to the king."

"Alright!" Natsu suddenly beamed. "Let's go and get that geezer!"

"Let's go!" Wendy agreed determinedly.

"Aye, aye sir!" Happy yelled.

"Not yet…" Carla said calmly.

"Why you always stopping me?!" Natsu yelled at her.

"We'll go under the cover of night. Until then we should try to get some rest." Carla said. And she was right. I guess that we had a plan after all and it was the same as in the anime, I remember now. We did need a bit of a rest before we go on saving everyone else. But deep down inside, I knew that something bad was going to happen. Something goes wrong with this plan I just can't remember what.

After we waited for the sun to go down and the city to quiet down, we made a run for the entrance of the cave that Carla described. We exited the city and just outside of it we stopped in front of a huge cave opening. It looked like it went on for miles inside, it was pitch black.

"Is this it?" Wendy asked.

"Yes. I'm positive." Was the reply from Carla.

Natsu started walking forward into the cave. "In we go."

"Wait!" Carla stopped him.

He turned around pouting. "Again with the stopping?"

While Carla was explaining why we couldn't go into the tunnel without light to Natsu and how he still didn't have magic after he attempted to create some fire, I noticed that Lucy went off to a wooden house that had some barrels and nets lying around it. She entered the wooden building and after a while, she came back out and she was holding something behind her back.

"Watcha got there Lucy?" I asked her. Everyone turned their attention to Lucy.

She laughed softly, before revealing two hand-made torches.

"I got us torches!" She said excitedly. "I got some wood from over there…" She pointed at the wooden house. "…wrapped them in cloth and dipped them in oil. All we have to do is light these babies on fire and we'll have no problem seeing!"

"And how are we going to do that?" Carla asked her.

Lucy sweat dropped. "Good question…"

"We can always do it the old fashion way, I guess." I told them. Everyone looked at me curiously.

Not a while after, me, Lucy and Natsu were sitting on the ground, rubbing small sticks, which were in between the palm of our hands to wooden planks to try and create some fire.

"This has got to be the most humiliating thing I've done in my life." Natsu muttered under his breath.

"Stop whining and let's get this fire starting." I grunted, as I tried to rub the stick harder to the wooden surface of the plank in front of me. Nothing was happening. Man, this was so much harder than all those survival films in my old world.

"We've got no other choice." Lucy huffed as she worked as well. "But it really does illustrate how convenient magic can be even for the little things."

"Yeah, no joke." I confirmed.

Happy was watching awestruck from the sidelines with Carla and Wendy. "Old tiny people must have been super impressive if they could make fire by just rubbing a couple of sticks together." Carla and Wendy nodded in awe and silence next to him.

Natsu was muttering something incoherently right next to me when I heard a snap. "Oh man, I suck at making fire."

Just then, the wood beneath me started hissing and small smoke could be seen. I also heard some hissing from Lucy's side.

"Woah, I did it." Lucy said as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, I think I did too." I said pointing at my smoking plank, which had a small orange dot on it that was smoking.

"Yay, Lucy and Anora made fire!" Wendy said.

"Good job!" Happy cheered.

"Awesome, I knew you had it in ya!" Natsu congratulated us as well.

"I find it ironic that the _fire wizard_ couldn't make a spark." Carla said sarcastically. I stood up from the ground, holding the plank with one hand and stiffening my small giggling with the other.

Natsu started pouting. "We got fire now so drop it would'ya?"

Lucy continued to rub the small orange dot on her plank until it burst into a small flame, while I blew some air onto mine giving the same result.

"We are all fired up now." Lucy said as she stood up with her plank and looked at me.

"Hell yeah! High five!" We did a super awesome high five!

Shortly after, we lit the torches on fire.

Wendy now held one of the torches, inspecting it. "This will be perfect!"

Lucy sat down, looking quite exhausted. "Now that that's over, can I rest for a little while?"

At such moments I was glad for some of my draconic features. I didn't feel at all exhausted so that was a plus for me.

I noticed that while Natsu was igniting the second torch with the first one, he was looking at the fire thoughtfully.

He moved the torch he lit around a bit, humming underneath his breath.

"You got an idea?" I asked him.

"Is something wrong?" Happy noticed his strange behavior as well.

Suddenly, without any warning, Natsu straight out put the torch in his mouth and ate the fire.

"Yeah! Maybe eating fire will bring your magic back." Happy said.

"Yeah, I don't think that it will work but it's good a try as any, I guess." I told them.

"So? Did it work?" Lucy asked him.

"Feel it yet?" Happy added. Natsu was still chewing intently on the flames. He finally swallowed and then pointed to his stomach. "Definitely feeling hot, right here."

"Well? Does it feel like magic." Happy asked excitedly.

"I doubt it." It was not in my nature to be pessimistic but I just knew that it won't work. It was probably in the anime and I'm having a subconscious remembrance. So I'm pretty sure that it won't work.

"Ahhh, I don't know. But I'm starting to think it does." Natsu said happily.

"Well try it out then. Give us the old Fire Dragon Iron Fist move." I told him and he smirked.

"You bet!" He wound his right fist, as if ready to punch someone in the face. Everyone got hopeful looks on their faces. "Coming right up" He swung with his fist.

…

…

…

A few seconds of awkward standing in one spot without fire sprouting from his fist that had punched the air was a good enough reason for everyone to drop the hope from their faces.

Natsu slumped. "Sorry. I got nothing."

"Told ya so." I gave him a pat on the back.

"I could have also told you that would happen." Carla said, walking past him and towards the cave entrance. I got one of the torches from Wendy and I followed the others into the cave. Natsu right behind us, holding the other torch which we reignited.

"I thought all I had to do was eat this weird world's fire." Natsu pouted.

"Don't worry about it. Thanks to my torches, we're all set!" Lucy boasted.

"But they're not magic." Happy pointed out.

We walked for a bit into the cave, looking around. It looked quite old and abandoned.

"Looks like nobody's been here in a while." Lucy commented as if reading my thoughts.

"Yeah." I nodded subconsciously while I was using the torch to light the areas around me better and look around.

Suddenly, Carla, who was leading us with her small map in her paws, stopped in her step. We all stopped.

"Put the light right in front of us." Carla said looking up from her map.

I walked forward and pointed the torch towards the direction in front of us. The light from the torch revealed a dead end made of stone, but it looked strange. It had planks on it as if it was barred. The plank on the top had an inscription on it – KY-2c. I wonder what's that all about. Maybe it's some kind of marking? Maybe it was the secret entrance!

Carla walked up to the dead end. "That's our link." Confirmed!

Lucy went up to inspect it. "It seems pretty thick and I think it's been fortified by some sort of magic."

She was right. I could feel more that more ethernanos floating around that barred piece of rock and some of them were off to my limits meaning that they were being used for something.

"Does that mean that this is a dead end?" Natsu asked.

"We have to find a way to get through it. I'm sure the passage leading to the castle is on the other side." Everyone looked towards me.

"Sorry guys but I don't think that I have the juice to bust this one down." I said guiltily. I was feeling hopeless. It sucked! It was not that I was that helpless. I mean I still had my magic but it thanks to the small amount of ethernano in the air, all of my spells don't pack such a strong punch as usual. Also, there was the fact that creating objects with so few ethernano requires more effort than it normally would. But I still think that I could put up a fight if the need would arise. I just needed to be smart about it.

"No problem." Lucy smirked. "Cause I know someone that can bust right through it!" She lifted one of her golden keys above her head.

" **Open, Gate of the Golden Bull – Taurus!"** She swung the key down vertically and a teal magical circle appeared in front of her. After a bell ring and a puff of smoke and huge humanoid cow was standing right before us, a huge axe behind his back.

"Bring on the muscle cow!" Happy cheered.

"If you're looking for brute strength, Taurus is definitely the Celestial Spirit ya wanna call for!" Lucy said. "Now plow through that wall for us, will ya?" Lucy asked excitedly.

Taurus was facing the wall and he looked at Lucy over his shoulder. "Of course, miss Lucy. Cause you know I'm always in the plowing moooood."

"Knock that thing out of our way!"

"I'll make it vamooose." He cracked his knuckles and swung to at the barred rock. In a few swings, he was able to knock the whole thing down.

"Major hoofs of fury!" Natsu looked at awe.

"Yeah, you can say that again." Lucy boasted and I just rolled my eyes while I stiffened a smirk.

The dust that was lifted from the rubble wore off.

"Hey, look." Lucy pointed out.

"It's a passageway." Wendy confirmed.

"Like I always say, cows get the one to punch of brains and beauty." Happy said.

"I'm pretty sure that you've never said that before." I murmured behind him. I don't think that he noticed, though.

"That wall wasn't so hard to mooove, miss Lucy." Taurus exclaimed proudly, his hooves on his hips, inspecting his handiwork.

"Thanks for all your help Taurus." Lucy thanked him. Taurus got a disheartened look on his face for some reason.

"Don't you think I deserve to get a smooooch?" He pouted. Oh...

"Uhhhh, get over it already." Lucy said.

"Oh come on miss Lucy. A kiss from you would send me to the moooon." The big cow had hearts in his eyes. It was quite creepy actually. Thankfully he was already fading to the spirit world. He had a bright golden hue around him. I really didn't want to be the next victim to his craziness. I mean, I love Lucy's spirits but sometimes they can be just too crazy.

"How about I just send you home instead?" Lucy said sternly. She held his key up and Taurus disappeared completely.

"Man, he can be a real creep sometimes." I commented.

"Tell me about it." Lucy said tiredly.

Meanwhile, Carla stepped forward to the now pile of rubble that was laying on the ground in front of us.

"Weather or not this path leads to the castle remains to be seen." She said.

"You've been right about everything else so far." Wendy tried to encourage her. I myself needed that encouragement. I still had a feeling that this was a really bad idea. And the worst part was that that feeling was growing. No... Actually the worst part was that I couldn't remember what was going to go wrong. And not knowing was putting me at an unease. "I'm sure this is where we want to go."

"What's wrong buddy?" Natsu asked. Everyone turned their attention to him only to see him looking down at a disheartened Happy.

Happy looked up at Natsu. "Hey, why do you think that I'm not getting any kind of map inside of my head?" We were at a loss for words here. "I mean, I'm from Edolas just like she is and supposedly we both get sent away on the same mission, so how come I don't know anything?" Happy looked truly lost. You could just feel how sad he was.

Carla approached him. "We agreed not to talk about that, remember?" When was that?!

"Aye." Happy looked down to his feet.

Carla put her paws on her hips. "I can't give you and explanation, that's just how it seems to be working out." Carla told him. For once, you could hear that she was trying to sound nice to Happy.

"For now, we gotta keep moving forward." Lucy told us.

"Right." Wendy nodded.

"Yeah." Natsu did as well.

"Hmm." I hummed in agreement.

We continued to walk further into the cave in silence.

Just a few minutes later the silence was finally broken.

"I hope this thing doesn't cave in on us."

' _Cave. In. On. Us?'_ I just realized that we are miles in into an abandoned cave and should something happen to us, nobody would even hear our screams yet alone come to our rescue. WELL AIN'T THAT A COMFORTING THOUGHT!

"YOU JUST HAD TO SAY THAT!" I yelled at Natsu. Now I couldn't stop thinking about all the bad things that could happen. I can be such a paranoid person…

"Shut up Natsu or you're gonna jinx us." Lucy said fearfully.

"This mineshaft is pretty old and rundown, isn't it?" Wendy asked.

"I really hope it's not haunted." Happy added.

I swear to god I'm going to be looking at every dark corner until we exit this place from now on!

Natsu suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and since he was leading everyone else stopped behind him. When I looked at his face he looked mortified.

In the paranoid state that I was in right now, my trigger finger just couldn't hold itself and I jumped like a cat in fighting stance. A single ethereal chain burst out of the ground and snaked itself around my arm ready to strike at my command. I even held the torch like a weapon.

Lucy noticed mine and Natsu's reaction and she freaked out. "What's the matter? Please don't let there be something scary down there."

Suddenly, Natsu handed his torch to Lucy without even turning back to look at her. "Just hold this thing for me, ok?" He said.

I tensed. I couldn't see anything in front of me nor did I sense anything. What had him so frightened?

Lucy looked at the torch he handed her. "Why? Just tell me what's going on. Do you have to fight something?" Lucy asked. She was panicking slightly.

"Be quiet and don't move a muscle." Natsu said cryptically. Everyone froze and I tensed. Natsu slowly raised his hand and… put it in front of the torch that Lucy was holding so it can create a shadow that resembled a maw of some sort.

"Hehehehe." Natsu giggled like a school girl. "We found the lair of the shadow monster." He said in a deep, story-telling voice and then laughed like a maniac.

Everyone sweatdropped. It wasn't long until the initial shock was gone and my eye right twitched. The chain I had around my arm disappeared and I stepped forward towards Natsu. Lucy did the same.

Lucy slammed the torch's not firey end into Natsu's mouth. "THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR GOOFING AROUND!"

Once Lucy was done, I grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him a bit in the air and then I shook him violently. "THE NEXT TIME YOU PULL SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I WILL END YOU PERSONALLY!" I put him back on the ground. He looked quite dazed. Both me and Lucy turned our backs on him and crossed our arms with a soft _Hmpf._

After that, we walked in silence for what seemed like ages. This place was like a maze. Each time we got to a crossroads Carla would consult her map and we did that for about half an hour, I think. Finally, we exited the mineshaft and we entered to what seemed like a cavern. There were some strange looking mushrooms on the walls. They glowed an eerie blue and green color. Stalagmites and stalagtites were everywhere. Thankfully it was big enough for all of us to fit in and still have space.

"Woah." We exclaimed in unison.

"This is more like a cavern than a tunnel." Lucy voiced out my thoughts.

"Yes. And I believe this cavern is located directly underneath the castle." Carla confirmed.

"I don't understand how you're doing this but I'm so happy that you're on our team." Lucy told her.

"I'm perplexed as well, but like I said, the map just keeps getting more and more filled in." Carla commented.

"You're amazing Carla." Happy tried to lift up her spirit.

"Well, being able to find our way out of here is sure to be the easy part." She replied. "But what would be truly amazing would be sneaking in and out of the king's royal chambers undetected. As defenseless as we are now this mission will be over the moment we are spotted."

"True." I agreed. In my current position and with Lucy the only one able to wield magic, if we were spotted, then we would surely be captured.

"Now, don't forget. We could always use my magic if we get into a pinch." Lucy boasted yet again.

"So you're going to save us? I don't think so." Natsu asked. He seemed bored.

"What are you saying? Taurus got us this far!." Lucy yelled at him. Natsu just walked away.

"Yeah, yeah." He waved his free hand at her.

We continued walking forward for a bit, marveling at the cavern when suddenly I felt movement and not long after, Lucy screamed. When I turned to look at her, she was bound to some white gooey stuff. Damn! This is what went wrong. Now I remember. This was an ambush!

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled.

"What is that?" Wendy yelled.

"I'm stuck." Lucy said, trying to pry from her binds.

We had to act, we can't stay in the open like this. "Everyone! Take cover!" I ordered but it was too late. Soldiers were all around us. Binds were flying left and right and I was barely dodging them. I also had to drop the torch. The others didn't seem to have such luck as me and it wasn't long before I was the only one left standing.

"Anora! Watch out." Natsu suddenly yelled from his stilled position before the soldier that had captured him punched him to silence him.

While I was dodging a series of these binds flying towards me, I didn't see one coming straight at me from the side and when Natsu yelled I turned and noticed it. At that time, my brain drew a blank. I didn't think I just acted on instinct and before I knew what happened I had blinked away from the circle of soldiers. I looked behind me and I noticed that a swarm of soldiers was running my way and even more were surrounding the others.

I had no choice. I started running in the opposite direction from my friends. It appeared that the cavern continued a long way down in a maze-like pattern. I went left then right, right then left then straight. Honestly I this point, I already lost track of where I was. I just wanted to escape. I could hear the metal clang behind me and I just kept running. The cavern seemed endless but of course, with my luck it wasn't long before I hit a dead end. The odd thing was that I was no longer hearing the footsteps of the soldiers that were chasing me. Did they give up?

I went up to the wall that was creating the dead end and inspected it. There is nothing behind this. Damn, I gotta backtrack. I turned around and the path from where I came from was empty. I had long lost the torch and the only light that was provided in this space was from the glowing mushrooms to the sides. Actually, the light was quite a bit. There were still some intense shadows here and there but the area was generally light. Looking back at the way I came, I noticed how long of a corridor it was before it reached the dead end. It was just a straight line, surrounded by different forms of rock. If someone were to come out from the other end now, I would have no choice but to fight them... At least it was spacious enough to dodge if it need be.

Slowly, I started walking forward to the only exit in sight. I stopped in my tracks when a feminine looking figure appeared at that very exit. Of course... The shadows were more intense at the entrance of the corridor so it was hard for me to see who it was. The figure stepped forward into the green-blue light that the mushrooms were emitting. The most noticable feature about the figure was the huge ass spear that was now pointed directly at me. Scratch that, it was more like a trident.

"So you're Anora from Earthland." Ah, but the even more terrifying fact was to whom that spear belonged to. The feminine figure had scarlet hair and intense brown eyes. It was Edo-Erza and it was at that point that I realized how utterly screwed I actually was. I took a hesitant step backward.

"Erza!?" I asked in panic.

"It's amazing how much you resemble my closest partner Anora Dawnseeker." She said. "Unfortunately for you, it's my mission to capture you. You friends have already been subdued and you're my only target that's left standing." She went into battle formation. "It depends on you wether this is going to happen the easy way or the hard way. Personally, I prefer the hard way!" Suddenly, without any further warning she dashed towards my location. The three tip of the spear about to pierce my skin any moment.

 _(insert Erza vs Erza extended track here.)_

' _Blink!'_ I practically yelled in my mind. I flashed behind her and used that opportunity to kick her on her back. It appeared that she did not expect me to be capable of such a thing and thanks to her initial shock and her momentum I was successfully able to slam her on the wall that was previouclsly behind me.

"Hmpf… So you will provide a challenge after all." She quickly picked herself up and turned around to face me again… slowly. She had a sadistic smile on her face. It was really creepy. "So your ability allows you to disappear from one place and reappear in another. Impressive, but it won't be enough to defeat me!"

Damn, she was actually assessing me right now. I should've known. Erza never fights her opponents at her fullest until she understands her opponent fully. Edo-Erza is probably testing me to see if that was the only trick that I have under my sleeve and in the current situation that I am in it is quite possible that this might be my strongest technique. To put it shortly, I was boned unless I could find a way to escape. Thankfully, I do still remember the small fact that Edo-Erza's ability is similar to our Erza's. The only difference being that she can only change her weapon's form and not her armor's. But the principle is still the same even if the performance is different. The change of her spear still empowers her own strength in different ways depending on the form of her spear. That fact crushes my hopes of outrunning her. She probably has an enchancement form for her speed. I can't just run away from her. This is where I gotta make my stand.

Erza held the spear with two hands above her head and it started glowing bright red above her head. It changed form from a trident to a fiery red spear.

' _Ok, as far as I know, red is the color of no-no. When you see it just run the heck away.'_ Yeah… If only I had time.

" **Explosion!"** She swung the spear right in my direction.

' _Don't you dare fail me now magic!'_ I spread my hands to the sides.

" **Arcane Dragon Shelter!"** I yelled. A small, already cracking, purplish bubble formed around me. It took the brunt force of the hit. At the moment of impact a huge explosion spread across the space we were fighting in. The already battered shield burst into millions of ethereal pieces that scattered to the wind and I was pushed back with great force. I made a backflip in the air.

I had my elbows protecting my face as I was flying backward. As I felt the ground underneath me again, I lowered my arms to look at my opponent. My eyes widened as I saw her already lunging right at me. Her spear had a new form that was glowing in a bright golden color.

" **Silfarion"** She was coming in at such a great speed that I had little to no time to dash to the side at the last second. I wasn't as fast as I thought however and I got a fierce cut on my right cheek. Before I had time to even regain my senses she was again coming right at me from a new angle.

"So fast…" I mumbled in shock as I dashed away from her strikes.

She was coming in so fast I couldn't dodge forever like that. So, on her next strike, I created an ethereal sword in my right hand and I parried the blow. The sword turned shattered in my hand the second the spear was parried and I was pushed back but I created another one for her next blow and so on and so on. Dodge then parry, parry then dodge. Her onslaught was merciless. It was like Erza in her Flight Armor. Normally I could keep up with her extreme speed but right now just creating these swords to parry with was proving far too exhausting.

If it was not for the huge amount of arcania that was seeping after Edo Erza's every blow, I would've been defeated by now.

If she keeps up like that, she will eventually defeat me. I need a new strategy. And maybe a weapon that requires less effort to create.

I waited for her next blow, which admittedly wasn't too long. Just as she lunged to try and hit my stomach yet again, I dashed to the side. What I was not expecting was for her to turn with me and try to strike at my right hip. Was she already able to read me so well?

Miraculaslly, I was able to dodge the strike to her side with sheer luck and I quickly lifted my right hand into the air above her spear. As I swung towards her weapon with my hand, a purplish, see-through sword formed in my hand. I struck her weapon from above and she lost her balance. My weapon shattered on inpact but I was able to get the time I needed.

I used her unbalanced form and ducked low to swipe at her legs with mine. I was successful in knocking her down on the ground and I quickly blinked right above her in the air and I lifted my right hand behind my head as if I was about to throw something, which I was.

" **Arcane Dragon Conjuration: Throwing Knives!"** As I yelled that, three small ethereal daggers formed in between my fingers. As soon as I felt them in my hand, I swiped it towards Edo Erza who was still recovering her balance from the blow earlier, releasing the pointed knives.

Surprisingly, she was able to get her bearings in time and she rolled away from the trajectory of the daggers, which shattered upon impact with the ground. After that, she quickly got back on her feet a good distance away from where I landed on the ground softly.

"I see." She cocked the tip of the spear towards me. "So your magic does not only allow you to relocate but it also allows you to created different objects and I suspect even projectiles."

"Hmpf. And you have a spear that can not only change form to perform different abilities but it also enhances your physical abilities and senses." She wasn't the only one that had me figured out. Edo-Erza smirked maliciously.

"I never would have imagined that I would face off against my closest friend and partner." She commented idly. "We've had our spars of course but this is different." She had a fierce look in her eyes. A hint of hesitation could be noticed but it was wiped away quickly enough.

"Yes, it's quite strange indeed." I huffed.

"Even so, the fact that you are on the enemy's side still stands!" The grip over her spear tightened. "And I won't stop at anything to crush my enemies!" She yelled. I tensed as she prepared to strike again. The bad part about this was that under my tough demeanor I was breaking apart. The strain from creating so many ethereal objects with so little resources was too tiring. There is also the fact that each time she shatters an object created by me, a part of the ethernano that I used to create it are also destroyed so I can't use them again. It was truly difficult but I'd be damned if I failed without a fight. After all, I enjoy a good challenge.

" **Mel Force!"** She yelled. I felt the air around me deplete. Wind was gathering incredibly fast at the tip of her spear. I quickly realized what was going on. She was creating a vacuum wave!

Just as that thought occurred to me. A shockwave was sent my way with unimaginable speed. I crossed my elbows in front of my face to protect it for I had no time to dodge.

" **Arcane Dragon Guardian Wing!"** Ethereal, draconic wings sprout out from behind my back and enveloped my form to try and take the brunt of the assault. Unfortunately, as much as I tried, I couldn't use the spell correctly in my current position. The wings appeared half broken already. When 'Mel Force' connected with them, they were blown to bits and I was sent flying backward.

I yelled as I felt a sharp pain in my back as I was slammed to the wall behind me. I fell to the ground. My head hung low and my vision was blurry. That attack was far more brutal than any other knock back I've ever faced before. Usually, slamming me to a wall won't have such great effects on my current health thanks to my dragon features but her attack had a continuation to it. After it hit me, it continued to travel with me, effectively crushing me against the wall. It was like I was the meat in a sandwich. Squished between two pieces. I used my hands for support to try and get up quick enough so as to not give Edo-Erza an even bigger opening. My hair was obscuring my already blurred vision.

When I stood up, I found that it was already too late. The two seconds that I needed to get up was time that I couldn't afford to lose and I did just that. When I looked up, I saw Erza holding one of those spears that the soldiers had used against my friends and before I could do anything to stop it, a white substance shot out from it and wrapped itself around me like a cobweb.

Edo Erza was smiling viciously as she dragged me on the floor towards her. I tried to say something. Anything. But nothing came out. And the last thing I remember was her balled up first connecting with my face before everything turned black.

 **Yeah, Anora... just no. We are talking bout Erza here. Anora never had a chance versus her in her current position. Even at full force, Edo-Erza would still have been a challenge to take on.**

 **I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I was especially hyped about writing the fight scene between Edo-Erza and Anora. In her current position, Anora won't be able to hold a candle to any of the Captains of the Royal Guard in Edolas. Will she be able to think of new and creative ways of fighting her enemies? If Anora is to survive her visit to Edolas she will really have to think outside of the box when fighting her opponents if she wishes to win!**

 **Well... I guess that we just have to wait and see...**

 **See ya guys in the next chapter. Chiao!**


	30. Chapter 30: Meeting My Evil Self

**Hey, everyone! I hope that you had fun during Helloween. I certainly did!**

 **Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter Thirty

Meeting My Evil Self

The first thing I felt was a godawful headache. It appeared that I was lying on hard ground.

' _Where the heck am I?'_

I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurry so I waited for it to stabilize. In my current position, I was lying face first against cobblestone and my arms were underneath me. I slowly lifted my head without getting up to look around. The most noticeable feature in the bare, actually quite spacious cell, was a single wooden bed and a row of metal bars blocking the only exit in sight.

I stood up and patted the dust away on myself. Thinking back, I remember what had happened. Edo-Erza had totally wiped the floor with me… literally. When I stood up, I realized the reason why I was left behind simple bars without anyone to watch over me. My hands were bound together with that sticky white substance. I tried to pry it off but I was unable to and when I tried to use my magic to get rid of it, I realized that the binds weren't there just to stop my physical abilities. It stopped my magical capabilities as well.

´ _Just frikin' great…'_ I thought, annoyed. _'I don't even know what happened with the others. As far as I remember, Edolas' scientist was looking for mages from Earthland with Dragon Slayer Magic. But that's the thing, if that's the case then why am I here and not with the others?'_

I walked up to the iron bars and inspected them. I held the one in the very center with my two bound hands and I tried to shake it. The thing didn't even budge.

' _Damn, it's too strong to pry off without using my magic?'_

After I did the same thing with all the other bars and achieved nothing, I walked up and sat on the wooden bed.

' _Well ain't this just a great day to be me…'_

Honestly, I don't even know how much time had passed. I was currently lying on the wooden bed that was sooooooo uncomfortable and looking up at the cobblestone ceiling. I was not just humiliated in battle and put in prison but I was also extremely bored and when I was bored I tended to misjudge the passing of time. For me, it felt like hours had passed but knowing my luck it was probably a few minutes since I woke up.

Just then, metal thumping on ground was heard just outside my cell. Not long after the sound, the one and only, Edo-Me was now standing right before my cell.

"Well hot damn, I knew that you would look like me but I didn't think that you would be like my twin or something." She commented.

Edo-Me indeed looked like me but her clothing was drastically different than mine. For starters, she had a small yellow, goldish hood that connected to a big golden woman-sized chest plate on her with a sun embodiment made out of another layer of gold. She had two golden shoulder pads, the one on her left hand being smaller than it's counterpart. The interesting thing was that on her right arm, all the way down to the end of her wrist, she was clad in a golden armor that connected to the shoulder pad, while her left arm was bare save one silver bracelet near her wrist. Both her hands were covered in a silver armored glove that ended with sharp talons on each end.

Under her chest plate, her armored leggings were connected with a big leather belt, which gave the notion that it was there not only for the looks but it could store a few things as well. Underneath the belt, the golden leggings extended to golden boots that were armored. Just like on her hands, the tips of her fingers ended in battle talons that looked quite sharp.

From how her hair was just lying on both sides of her head, coming down from her hood, I can guess that she has let her hair flow free. The last noticeable thing was the long staff spear thingie on her back that was more or less as big as her. It was like a staff as it was all decorated from bottom to top and stuff but at the end, it extended into a sword-like blade that was split in the middle.

All in all.

' _Damn, I look hot in that! I gotta try wearing armor sometime…'_

"Is it narcissism if I say that you're really ten out of ten in that." I gestured dramatically to get my point across.

Edo-Me crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly to the right behind the bars. She smirked, obviously amused.

"I guess not." She hummed. "But where are my manners – I am Anora Dawnseeker, second in command of the Second Magical Warfare Unit." Huh. I thought she was supposed to be evil or something? Well, I guess that that's just me, can't miss an opportunity to have fun with words. Good to know that she has a sense of humor. Maybe she isn't as bad as everyone thinks? Still, I must be weary. After all she's one of those who agreed to the Anima plan.

"And I'm Anora Ontryx, a Fairy Tail S-class mage." I crossed my arms with a wide toothy grin. We were more or less equal in authority so she won't be able to play the all high and might game with me.

She was silently scanning me, evaluating me. I knew that because she was doing it with that look. _My look._ The one I use to understand my enemy. "Although, I gotta ask, what's the reason for you to visit lil' ol' me?"

"Curiosity I suppose. Erza told me how she was able to wipe the floor with you. As pathetic as that sounds I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt since that was Erza."

Damn. Never would I have thought that my greatest weapon would be destroyed by none other than me. I was always glad when I fought against an opponent that underestimated me. That's why I had qualms with becoming popular at first back on Earthland. It gave me a certain advantage over my opponents. They never expected as much from me that I was actually able to dash out.

Obviously, that part of me was also in Edo-Me, making her weary of all enemies and giving them the benefit of the doubt no matter how weak they are or seemed to be. Give your opponent credit even if he doesn't deserve it. That's my motto in battle. Saves me from a lot of trouble.

"Hey, it ain't my fault your world is a douche towards me. If I had my full power I would have sent her back running." I pouted at her.

Her amused look widened. "That so… Well, I would be glad to test your metal myself but sadly that won't be possible in a few hours." I got a concerned look on my face.

"What do you mean?"

"Why… after I'm done here, you're off to our royal scientist to be dried to the last drop of your Dragon-Slayer magic, of course…" My eyes widened in horror. Her amused looked turned into something sadistic and malicious.

She chuckled darkly to my dismay. "That girl and the boy are already down there. You would have been there yourself by now but I wanted to meet you first." Her eyes sparkled with excitement but there was a certain darkness the green color in them. "I've heard about your heightened senses. If you concentrate hard enough, I'm sure that you would be able to hear their screams."

My mouth dropped at that sentence. The atmosphere drastically changed at that moment and I could feel the aura of malice around her. Her casual tone had turned into something far more sadistic. I was all about being sarcastic and my old cheerful self but right now, I just couldn't muster anything but anger.

' _WHAT THE FUCK!?'_

 _"_ What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Where did you funny attitude go?"She asked me with a dangerous twinkle in her eyes.

"I swear to god if you are correct, when I get out of here I'm going to crush you!" I snarled at her.

My evil, sadistic counterpart chuckled darkly. "I would like to see you try." She had a menacing grin plastered non-stop on her face now.

"And here I thought that all those rumors about you were wrong! Well, they actually are! You are worse than I thought! How the fuck can you say something like that while carrying my face?! I never expected you to be such a bitch!" I snapped at her. "Next you are gonna tell me that you need to slay puppies to charge your magic. What? The town you trapped wasn't enough? I would very much like to hear your reason for being so goddamn twisted. I still don't get how idiots like you can agree to a plan like that! To sacrifice so many just to get magical power... Now wait. I do - your just that, idiots!"

She tilted her head. Her smirk vanished in an instant and grim expression replaced it. "So you wanna do the guilt trip, huh? Well too bad. You wouldn't understand. I mean how could you? You have been with magic all your life. You could make your life so much easier with it, right? To feel in control… With our King's plan, all that misery would be gone. We would finally have magic all the time. No limits, no restrictions. So what if a few sacrifices have to be made?! A whole people would benefit from that. You should be honored, you are going to contribute to the well-being of a whole world!" She gritted her teeth. She was getting more and more defensive with each word, as if trying to convince herself more than me. I arched an eyebrow at her. Still, that doesn't give her a reason to do that to innocent people.

Not know how it is to be with little magic? To feel like you aren't in control… If only she knew… I wanted to laugh out loud in her face.

I chuckled darkly myself and she narrowed her eyes at me. "You are telling _me_ what it is to be with little magic? _ME?!_ Don't talk shit if you don't know the full story doll face! I've lived half of my life _without_ magic! WITHOUT A SINGLE DROP OF MAGIC!" I went just in front of the bars and looked her right in the eyes. Let's leave the part that by half my life I meant my first whole life... "You know what happen?! Nothing! I continued on with my life! Magic, while convenient doesn't fucking give you and excuse to murder a whole damn town!"

She returned my glare without moving. "And yet here you are, with Dragon Slayer Magic! In the end, you got it despite the fact that you had none before! Be it a coincidence or not, you still have it! On the other hand, we cannot have magic unless we take action. And that is exactly what we are doing!"

"Then don't take that action! It's not worth it! To kill so many so that you can have something that the world can live without!" I snapped at her.

She glared at me. Her eyes trying to pierce mine, searching for any kind of weakness but I held her gaze with an equal if not scarier glare. "I see that you are still the naive little girl I was a few years back. Get this straight princess. We _aren't_ the same person! I kill for a living. I'm not the right hand to the Fairy Hunter for no reason. I've slain as many Fairy Tail wizards as Knightwalker herself." She had a sadistic expression on her. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "And you know what? I enjoyed it. I enjoyed their screams for mercy while I ended their pathetic life just _because I was ordered to_. What's the difference if a few more die in the process, if in the end, we get unlimited magical power? I certainly don't care." Edo-Me turned to the side and closed her eyes. "I don't need you to understand my motives. You will soon play your part in our plans, so you can keep your opinion to yourself. It is most certainly not needed." With that, she left with a quick step, leaving me gaping like a fish in my cell, in front of the bars.

' _What did I just witness?'_

That… She is a monster. I can't believe that she is actually my counterpart. Sure I could imagine myself being evil and sadistic but never to such extent. I could never imagine myself being so satisfied in hurting others. I could see it on her face. She was outright enjoying how terrified I looked at first hand. And yet, I couldn't help the feeling that she was forcing herself to say those things to me. To want me to hate her. Nevertheless. that was it. This was my breaking point. Up until now, I treated the situation as if everything would turn out right. I treated it without too much concern. But they… they were outright torturing my friends and soon me… I had to act. It was time for S-class Anora mode.

I lifted my hands to be in front of my head to have a good view of the white substance that was covering my hands. I narrowed my eyebrows. It didn't look strong, just elastic and sticky.

I pondered for a bit. The next thing I would do would either break it or make it.

In an instant, I opened my mouth to reveal sharp canine teeth and bit into the rope-like thing. It didn't have any particular taste, which was weird. I started pulling to the side with my head while I pulled at the opposite direction with my hands. The elastic properties of the substance were enough to keep it intact from the force of the pull but I could feel that the spot underneath my sharp teeth was starting to break.

It took a good few minutes but it finally snapped, freeing my hands.

I smiled down at my free hands and I massaged my wrists a bit. It was at that moment that I realized that there was something sticky on my tooth.

I grabbed the sticky substance and started yanking frantically.

"Eu eu eu eu.. geff outf" I pulled it out of my mouth and threw it to the side with a sigh.

Suddenly, the ground shook and I swayed left and right, waving my hands and trying to keep my balance. A distant sound of an explosion was heard.

' _Wonder what that was all about. Hope it's back up.'_

I turned back at the bars and I grinned devilishly at them. I cracked my fingers as I gathered my power. I didn't even notice the taxation on my body as I cast the conjuration spell. My emotions were swirling in me. I would escape this hell hole if it's the last thing I do and then I'm going to get everyone out. Enough acting pathetically. I'm an S-class wizard damn it. Gotta start acting like one. If I can't beat my opponents head on, then I will just have to outsmart them. The fact that one of my opponents will be myself doesn't help me but I'll think of something. I opened my hands out to reveal sharp ghostly purple claws instead of my normal hand.

I put my hands in the space between the two central bars and I started pushing to the sides. With my enhanced strength, the metal bent easily, leaving a gaping hole in the middle, enough for me to go through.

I stepped out into the corridor and looked around. It was then that I heard some footsteps and chattering coming from my right. The corridor extended until it broke into a stairway to the upper level and the lower.

I saw two soldiers going down the stairway towards my level in a hurry and before I could do anything, they both looked at me with shock.

"Escaped prisoner!" One of them shouted. I winced. Damn that was loud. Someone was bound to have heard him.

I took a fighting stance and I awaited as they started running towards me. Spears in their hands and pointed at me. The one that had shouted was coming in faster than his buddy, which gave me an opportunity.

As he came closer I sidestepped to the side and grabbed the tip of his spear and yanked forward. He lost balance and fell forward on the hard ground while I kept the spear. I whirled the spear to grip it correctly and turned to face the other guy, who was just about to impale me with his own spear.

"You'll pay for that!" He shouted as he made a stabbing motion towards my abdomen. I used the spear in my hand and I parried the blow. I then whirled the spear in my hand and hit his spear from the side. I used a part of my power to put in some more force into the blow and my opponents spear flew out of his hands to the side. It hit the wall near us and fell to the ground while the guard in front of me stood in shock.

I whirled the spear in my hands once again until the not so pointy end was facing the guard and once again I used my power to put some more force into my hit as I hit the guard in his chest plate. From the way he reacted, it was obvious that that had knocked the air out of him. After my successful hit, I quickly swung the back end of the spear and hit his head upwards from under his chin. He flew into the air backward and fell on his back not a few feet away from me.

I turned around once I heard shifting noise, only to see the first guard getting up from his recent fall. He had drawn his other weapon, that being a sword, and he swung vertically at me. I side stepped to the side but he anticipated and swung his blade right after me. I was about to be beheaded! I quickly dropped the spear to the ground and I ducked underneath the strike. Before he could have another go at trying to kill me, my right hand was enveloped in a ghostly figure that resembled a dragon's claw. I clenched my hand into a fist and I hit the guy's side. Just above his left hip. He dropped his blade and clung his side with his hands. He bent his head low and I grabbed it with both my hands. I pushed his head down with my hands, right into my knee.

The guy fell unconscious next to me. Unfortunately, it wasn't over. I heard the sound of metal hitting stone over and over again and it was getting closer. When I looked around I saw that a few guards were coming in from both ways of the corridor. It was wide enough for three people to fit in at once and that's what they did. From both sides, troops started coming towards me. At their front, three soldiers forming a barrier with some kind of energy shields, while three guys behind them had pointed their spears at me through the small spaces between the shields.

They were coming in closer and closer like a room, which walls were moving to crush you. Suddenly, they stopped a few meters away from me.

"Come peacefully girlie! You're surrounded. You cannot hope to win." One of the guards that was holding a shield said. His voice held authority and a kind of tone that implied that he was much better than you. From all the guards, his helmet was the only one that revealed his face and his dark armor had a golden tint to it in a few places. It was obvious that this was a captain of some kind.

I chuckled at his words and I turned to face him. "You know…" I cracked my knuckles for dramatic effect and I took my fighting stance again. My knees were a bit bent so that I could keep balance. I had extended my right hand while my left hand stood right in front of my face. "I could use a good practice before facing off the stronger lot. It would give me an idea of my current limit."

The guard just hummed sternly. It was obvious that these were the only guards around to hear the other one yelling. The others are probably somewhere else dealing with the cause of the explosion earlier.

I smiled. I put the cockiest expression I could come up with. I wouldn't let myself be beaten anymore. It was time to open my can of whoop-ass. These knights in not so shining armor needed to realize that the dragon guarding the damsel in distress was actually the damsel herself. I gestured for the guards come in already with my right hand.

The guards, both in front of and behind me started to advance slowly. They shot that white substance from the tips of their spears right at me but before it reached me I blinked right behind the wall of six guards that was behind me. I roundhouse kicked the three soldiers that held the spears, which were now in front of me. They stumbled forward into the ones holding the shields and they, in turn, fell forward towards the other line of soldiers.

The other soldiers looked up at me and I just winked before I disappeared right in front of them. I had blinked yet again behind the others but they had expected it and the three guards that held up the spears had dropped them and had unsheathed their swords. One of them swung towards my head and I ducked while the other two lunged at me. I sidestepped the first guy and as he ran past me I caught him by his sword arm and introduced my knee to his stomach. He stumbled forward and I gripped his sword arm even more. I pulled him to the side and threw him at the other guy that was running right behind him at me.

The three guys with the shields had unsheeted their own swords and were now backing up the guy that first swung at me. The only guy without a shield started coming right at me. Unlike the first two, he started swinging his blade randomly in the air. He was too unpredictable so I did the only thing I could and I dodged backward until I found an opening. He made the mistake to swing horizontally at my neck to which I responded by ducking low and using my right leg to kick him in his legs. He fell backward because of the force of my kick.

The only ones still standing were the captain and the two others that were holding the energy shields. Before they could advance further towards me I quickly stood up and extended my right hand. My right hand started to glow in a purple hue I swiped with it to the left with a gripping motion."

 **"Arcane Dragon Ethereal Chains!"** From behind the guards, three chains shot from the ground and shot towards the three men's necks. Before they knew what hit 'em, my chains were already choking them. They dropped their shields and swords and started pulling at the chains around their neck.

Knowing the fragile state of my conjuration magic right now I had to act quickly before they could get loose. I lifted my arms to the side and opened the palm of my hands. On top of them, two ghostly orbs appeared. They were the size of my hand. While most would think that they were an energy attack this was simply a conjured construct. If it wasn't made from magic it would be the equal of a balling ball. I wound up my hands and I shot the two spheres at the two guys surrounding the captain.

The ethereal balling balls connected with the two guards chest plates. The balls shattered upon impact alongside the chains that were around the guard's neck. Of course, the guards themselves flew backward and fell to the ground… and most likely weren't gonna get up soon.

In the time that that happened, though, the captain was able to break the chain around his neck and he had picked up two blades from the ground. He looked at me fiercely. It was obvious that this guy had more experience from the others so I should be more careful. Since my opponents weren't using any spells there was no arcania in the air and I could only do so much before my supplies were exhausted. I was feeling the strain from using so many spells without being able to construct them efficiently.

"I'm going to cut you open for that stunt!" He yelled as he ran towards me. I jumped backward and I swiped my hands at him. From around the walls, two chains erupted and lunged at the man. He used his blades and swung at the chains without breaking his run towards me. He sliced right through them and continued his advance. Seeing that, I abandoned the plan to run away while I tried to capture him. It wouldn't work. I had to fight him head on.

I took my fighting stance and awaited for him to come close. He lunged at me with one blade, the other behind his back. I sidestepped but he used the other blade to follow up. I ducked and he used that to kick me in the face. Man, gotta say, a metal foot to the face doesn't taste well. I flew backward and fell to the ground. I quickly tried to lift myself up. When I did I saw the man's stern face as he was charging at me again. The sword in his left hand right in front of him while the one in his right behind him.

He started swinging his blades left and right and the only thing I could do was dodge. At least I was good at that. I was able to dodge Erza's blows. To her, this man's swings were nothing but the problem was that the pile of soldiers behind him on the ground were begging to stir and rise up and my magical power was going to end sooner rather than later if I had to fight them all again. I had to finish this quickly.

I made my move when he swung vertically at me. I grabbed one of his swords in between my palms and I used my body to get it out of his grip by turning my back to him with the sword still between my hands. I succeeded but now he had an opening to strike at me with the sword in his other hand. If I were a normal person that strike would have most definitely hit. But hey, since when am I normal?

Before the blade connected with my shoulder I blinked right behind the man and before he caught himself from swinging with such force at nothing, I put my hands around his neck and used the sword that was in my hand now to guard his neck. He stiffened immediately once he felt the cold steel pressed to his throat.

"Drop the weapon if you know what's good for you." I growled in his ear. Hesitantly, he complied and he dropped his sword. I turned myself and him around to face a bunch of guards that had gotten up now. I sent a clear message to not move or I'm offing their captain.

"You bitch! Drop the captain this instant!" One of them yelled. Looking at the shocked faces of most guards it was obvious that they wouldn't let their captain die. No matter how messed up in the head they were at least they were loyal. I could use that against them...

"And where would be the logic in that?" I asked sarcastically. "I have a clear advantage with him on my leash. I ain't giving that up."

The guards in front of me didn't know what to do so they just clung the small blades in their hands and stood in place, probably glaring at me. I couldn't really tell with their helmets on.

"Listen now. If you still wanna live you are gonna tell me where you are keeping the other Dragon Slayers." No one said a thing so I just pressed the blade to the captain's throat and drew a bit of blood. "Clocks ticking!" I warned them dangerously. I was done playing games.

Suddenly one of the guards in front of me said. "They are down in the dungeon laboratory!"

"Shut it, soldier." The captain yelled but I just pressed the blade further into his flesh for emphasis on keeping his trap shut.

"And what of the other girl? The blonde one." I asked the one that was willing to talk things out.

"She is kept elsewhere. I don't know where." He answered quickly.

"Thanks." I turned to the captain in my grasp. "You know, I'm kinda glad that there is one that's not an idiot like the rest of you. This could have turned into something I wouldn't have enjoyed one bit." I told him. I could hear him growl in frustration. I turned to the soldiers and pointed at one of the free cells.

"Now then, in, you lot! Get inside the cell." They obliged hesitantly. Once all thirteen soldiers, yes I made them drag the unconscious ones in too, were inside, I pushed the captain in as well and I closed the gate to the cell. I had snatched the keys to it from the captain and I locked it.

I looked at them cheerfully from the other side of the bars, enjoy my little victory. I mockingly saluted. "Welp, it's been fun dancing with you gents but I've got places to go and people to see. Buh-bye!" I waved mockingly as I went to descend the stairs. I could hear the guards and especially the captain muttering insults and curses at me with my heightened senses. I chuckled at some of the more creative ones.

 _'Oh, that was a good one. I think I'll steal it for future use.'_ As much as I was trying to look the situation seriously, I just couldn't stop myself from being me. It's just how I was. I guess that, as long as I'm serious when it counts it doesn't really matter.

As I descended towards the dungeons, I noticed the vast lack of guards… anywhere. It was like there were no other guards here besides the guys I just locked up. Strange. Actually - REALLY STRANGE. With capital - everything. Wasn't this supposed to be the royal castle?! And not even a single guard? That fact unnerved me. Well, at least I will have no complications in getting down to the laboratory. I shuddered. I didn't know what to expect down there. I mean, a place where someone would dare to torture even someone like Wendy. I mean, man, that's just ain't right.

Since I had nothing else to do I looked back at my fight with the guards. That was such a close call. Thank god one of 'em actually had emotions like a normal human being and decided to take up on my bluff. Before you ask, of course it was a bluff! I would never kill someone unless I had no other choice. And doing it like that, in cold blood, is just messed up. Maybe I could have defeated them all if the need had arisen but my magic reserves would have been depleted by the end of the battle and I would have lost too much time. Thank god, it didn't get to that.

I must say, though, I surprised even myself with how good I acted. With my tone and menacing glares taught by Erza, only a few people would be able pick up that I was bluffing.

Maybe I should become an actor if something happens to my Fairy Tail career. If nothing else it would be fun. And maybe in time Erza could add one of my films to her unending collection of romance lacrima films. I swear that woman is so desperate to get married. Half of her films are sappy romance stories ending with marriage!

I shook my head with an amused smile and continued towards the laboratory.

 **Yay for an action packed chapter. These are really hard for me to write since I don't know some of the English words to describe a battle scene in great detail so I hope that I did a good job with what I had. Leave a review and tell me what you guys think?**

 **Now that Anora has finally started to act accordingly let's see if she can back up her word and really kick some people's asses with her current limitation.**

 **I also want to address a small fact. Some of you said that Anora actually didn't deserve her S class rank and that compared to all the other S class she is actually pretty weak. That is not true and here is why - If we speak about direct power, Anora is the weakest. That is her magic's weakness. That unlike Erza, Laxus and Natsu, she can't just dish out a knock out punch from the beginning. Initially, her power is lower than other's people powers but her strength comes from her power up when consuming arcania. If she is able to survive long enough she will be able to defeat everyone that doesn't have an overwhelming magical power. Her power makes it so that Anora will grow in strength according to her opponent. If you still can't accept that then view it from this point of view - her power is not based around offense. She is wielding magic itself and so it copies all forms of magic. That means that it excels in every way and at the same time in no ways. (Further on the matter in a future chapter.) She has offensive, defensive and utility spells, which give her form of magic a variety that few forms of magic have. In battle, that gives her much more choices than the average wizard.**

 **Ok. With that out of the way, I'll see you all in the next chapter!**


	31. Chapter 31: A Fateful Encounter

**A/N: *crawls out of a grave* Wait! I'm not dead! Well, mostly... First of all. Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope that you are having and awesome time. I'm sorry that this chapter took such a long time to be out. It's fairly overdue but that's that. I took some time to re-evaluate how I want things to go with the story. I've only planned how things will go further ahead and I have not thought much of the in-between and that has finally caught up with me resulting in a writer's block.**

 **Ok, enough chatter, here is the new chapter.**

Chapter Thirty One

A Fateful Encounter

 **[The Royal Castle. Briefing Room.]**

 **Pantherlily**

I was sitting on a chair near the table, where all the army generals and important personnel had gathered to discuss our situation. Currently, there was the King, Byro the royal scientist, Sugarboy, Hughes and Coco, who was standing behind Byro's chair. There was also Luna, a female exceed, who was sitting on the chair next to me. She was currently my second in command. She was not like the regular exceeds. Just like me, she was a human's size with a strong muscular build. She was a bit shorter than me if only by a few centimeters. She was covered in a silverfish, gray, pale fur that shined like the moon but the tip of her tail and her muzzle were white. She had strong teal eyes and a single small, constant cow lick on top of her head that actually fitted her. She was wearing a casual plated armor just like me, only for the chest and stomach area. She also had small silver bracelets near her paws at the end of her legs. Other than that she just had a pair of green trousers just like me. Throughout my time working with her, I've noticed that she is exceptionally skilled in combat. While I may not fully believe that her carefree and sometimes childish demeanor is acceptable for the army, I cannot overview her potential as a warrior. She also probably the only other person here that was actually with good intentions besides Coco.

I knew her from before my exile. We were not really friends, more like friendly faces to each other. Little after my own exile, she herself was exiled from Extalia. To this day I still don't know the reason why and I have never pried. All I know is that she is probably the only other exceed with some honor in her.

Right now, I was waiting for them to begin. Byro, that disgusting man, cackled rather unsettlingly before he spoke up first. "It's as the legends foretold. We've proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the magic the Earthland wizards posses, comes from within their very bodies." He explained.

"Hmm. They are much like the exceeds in that regard." Sugarboy pointed out.

"Careful not to inflate their abilities, the exceeds are far more powerful." Byro said. I couldn't agree less in that regard. The exceeds were far weaker than these Earthlanders. They were just a bunch of good liars. Just thinking about that makes me angry.

"Hold on. You mean even that Lucy girl was like that?" Coco asked shily. "She has magic inside of her too?"

"Indeed she does." Answered Byro.

"Then we gotta, like, keep her alive, right old man?" Hughes turned towards Byro.

Suddenly the King spoke. "She must be terminated! The exceed's queen, Shaga, has given explicit orders. Any discussion to the contrary is a waste of time and breath." I gritted my teeth. Yet again my people were damning a person just because they could!

"The order came from the queen herself?" Coco asked, curious.

"Hmmm… Then it's settled." Sugarboy said quietly. "We cannot defy the will of the exceeds."

Hughes facepalmed himself. "Maaaan. But this is, like, such a humongous waste, ya know?"

"However our technology is lacking of the moment, we have not yet been able to perform a magic extraction from a human body." Byro explained.

If that was true then how would they extract the necessary power from the Earthalnedrs? I saw that Luna had a thoughtful expression just like me. I guess she was mostly observing and listening in like me instead of speaking.

I decided to speak up. "So then. What shall we do with the three Dragon Slayers, sir?" Without moving his head, Byro just averted his gaze towards me.

"Those three are not quite human. They are more of a strange human amalgam." He explained. "Successful experiments with them could one day deliver us everlasting magic power." He said with a malicious tone at the end. I didn't like this but it was for the good of the kingdom.

"Ha ha, now that's cool." Hughes piped in.

"Yeah! Totally cool." Coco agreed. I don't think that she understood fully what that meant. She was too innocent like that.

"Very well Byro. You should have much work to do." The king said without even looking at the scientist.

"Indeed." Was the short answer.

"And as an added precautionary measure, begin extracting the magic energy from the Earthland lacrima immediately." Faust added.

"Right away." With that everyone with the exception of Luna, me and the king left the room, talking excitedly what they were gonna do when they get an unlimited supply of magical power.

I was just waiting for the noise to die down. I had crossed my arms while waiting. Luna was just looking bored at this point.

Finally, we could no longer hear the chatting between the others. "Is there something troubling you Pantherlily, Luna?" The king asked us.

I decided to voice my concern for some of my recent observations. "My lord. If I may ask about this recent surge in our army midst." I had noticed that more soldiers were being conscripted in the military as of late so I was curious to know why. Unfortunately, the king's gaze intensified so much that you could practically feel the anger seeping off of him. Obviously it was a touchy subject.

I kept my poker face as I stared at the king, awaiting an answer. Suddenly I felt a tap on my leg and I noticed with the corner of my eye, Luna shaking her head very slowly, almost unnoticeably.

I bowed my head and closed my eyes. "I see. Please, excuse us." I said and I stood up, ready to leave. Luna was just behind me.

The two of us exited the debriefing room and were now walking amidst the corridors of the royal castle.

"What was that all about?" Luna suddenly asked me when no one else was around to hear us talk.

"I noticed the rise of our military. I was curious to find out why that was. Don't tell me you aren't as well." I asked her, giving her just a small side glance.

"Of course I am. But asking the King, who is obviously losing it nowadays was not a smart move. Who knows, he might be doing something that we ourselves won't like." She said, crossing her hands and closed her eyes for a bit.

Now I fully looked at her. While I did agree with her assessment over the King's state, speaking it out loud was the closest thing to treason. Over the years working together, since we were the only exceeds around we would always trust each other but talking like that was not good. At least by my standards.

"Be careful what you say and to who you say it, Luna. Talk like that could get you into trouble." I warned her.

She frowned as she looked at me."Yeah? Well sorry for speaking the truth." We suddenly stopped at a crossroads of corridors. "Besides, I don't know about this plan of ours." She told me.

"What do you mean?"

"Raising up our military numbers and extracting Dragon Slayer magic from the Earthlanders? I mean how is that supposed to bring this world unlimited magical supply? It just doesn't fit, ya know?" She paused and looked thoughtful for a second. "I just have a bad feeling about this."

I hummed in thought. She was right. Something was amiss. But we can't question orders. We just follow them.

Luna just shook her head in front of me. "Anyways. Captain Dawnseeker asked me to seek her out after the meeting, so I guess I'll see you later." She waved a gray paw at me as she went towards the right corridor, disappearing from sight.

I continued forward instead, thinking really hard about the past and what was going to happen in the not so far future.

 **Anora**

"And stay down!" I yelled at the defeated guard on the ground.

After a while of running around the castle, I finally found the entrance to the dungeons, only to find Gray and Lucy with Happy and Carla fighting off a dozen guards while Erza was fighting… Erza. Yeah… No thanks. I like my head where it is right now so I won't interfere.

After I joined the fight, they were happy to see me well and in turn, I them. We decided to leave the two Erza's while we went to free Natsu and Wendy. After I had gotten barely a few stories above the dungeon I could already hear their screams from there just as Edo Me said but right now, when we were so close, their screams of agony were horrifying.

As we ran through the long corridor towards where the now non-present screams were coming from, we exchanged stories on how everyone got here. Gray and Erza were freed from the big lacrima by Gajeel while Lucy had to do a prison break like me with Happy and Carla.

When Gray finished his tale, we came to the already know conclusion that Dragon Slayer magic was the way to free our friends. But this time Happy told us that he and Carla were able to see where the big lacrima was located and he volunteered to go and get Gajeel to it. Being a Dragon Slayer myself I decided that I should go with him for backup.

And so we went on our merry ways. Lucy, Carla and Gray continued on deeper into the dungeons while Happy was flying me out of the castle.

"Hey, Happy. Are you sure that you will be able to carry both me and Gajeel?" I asked as we just exited the castle.

"I'm not sure but I have to!" He answered determinedly.

"I'm sure that you will do it Happy!" I cheered him on.

"Aye, sir!"

We were nearing the plaza and there were a lot of guards right in front of us. I could just barely see the tint of black hair in between the metallic armor.

"Gajeeeeeel!" Happy yelled as we got closer.

Said Dragon Slayer was just finishing pummeling some poor bastard to the ground and he turned to acknowledge us with a huge toothy grin.

"Hey, you two. Good to see ya."

"I know where they are keeping the lacrima that the others are trapped in so I'm gonna take you and Anora there." And before Gajeel could answer I grabbed him just as Happy flew near him. We were flying towards a huge flying rock that was really high above the Royal City.

"Wait a second, get your hands off of me!" He started squirming.

"You two are too heavy together. Stop moving! I can't hold for much longer." Happy said with a strained voice.

Before anyone could say anything else, an orange energy slash flew dangerously close to my face.

"What the!?" Both me and Gajeel exclaimed. I looked down towards the city only to find a big female gray exceed flying behind us.

"I'll take care of her, you keep going." I told them without giving them time to answer. "Happy! Catch!"

"Wha?" Was all that Happy could say before I threw Gajeel up in the air and loosened myself from Happy's grip.

The moment that happened I started falling towards the ground smirking at hearing Gajeel's surprised yelp and followed curses and mind you, we were pretty high up in the air but I had a different target in mind than the ground.

Just below me, I could see the shocked expression on the gray exceed below me.

I just laughed at her expression as I got near her. "Geronimoooooooooooooo!" I yelled as I collided with her. We started falling towards the roof of one of the many buildings in the plaza.

I had collided with her by hugging her waist and she was trying to get away from me the whole time, kicking and punching. Just before we hit the roof the exceed was able spread her wings and stop our decent just as we were about to hit the roof.

That very second I pushed myself off of her and jumped a good distance away from her.

Now that I had a better look at her I could see that she was covered in a silverfish, gray fur but the tip of her tail and her muzzle were white. She had awesome looking teal eyes and a single small, constant cow lick on top of her head that looked so adorable. She was wearing a casual plated armor only on the chest and stomach area. She also had small silver bracelets near her paws at the end of her legs. In addition she wore some green trousers.

The more dangerous part of her set was small sword in her right hand that glowed a fiery orange. It had a normal steel blade but it had a lion tail-like hilt with a romb-formed orange crystal in the center, ending with a round sun figure. A magical sword... This could potentially be very bad.

The most important realization was that I had never seen her in the show. I mean, right? There was no such exceed back then, so what changed? Could it be that my presence on Earthland made the universe create a copy of me on Edolas, which in turn changed events to an extent where this exceed is here? Oh, my head hurts just thinking about such stuff…

Nevermind that now. Right now I had to deal with a clearly pissed of exceed.

"Are you crazy!?" She yelled at me with in a voice that was a mixture between Happy and Carla's voice. It had the elegance of Carla's voice but it lacked the maturity and the intelligent undertone to it. Rather than that, it felt more childlike and excited.

"What? You've never done a freefall dive just for the heck of it?" I gave her a toothy grin just as an old memory of flying around with a certain old dragon flickered into my mind.

"Hmpf. Well, I can't accuse you of being boring at least." She gave me a toothy grin of her own and she suddenly went into a stance with the one-handed magical sword in her right paw. Oh, I already like her. "Perhaps you will prove to be a worthy opponent as well as being an interesting one."

That was an invitation for a fight if I ever heard one.

A light bulb turned on in my mind. Gajeel and I were the only Dragon Slayers without and an exceed and if I remember correctly, Gajeel is probably going all out on poor Pantherlily just so he can take him with him.

I kinda wanted an exceed myself. I mean, a best buddy, who will always be with you? Heck yeah! And this was my chance. I mean what are the chances for a new exceed to appear in Edolas as I fuck with the timeline. Coincidence? I think not. Maybe I could get this awesome looking exceed to become my bestie. She looks awesome! But how the heck do you just up and ask an exceed to become your buddy... Gajeel had no problem doing that but... he is Gajeel. There is also the fact that she is supposed to be my enemy. Fuck it, I'll just go with the flow, whatever happens.

"You sure that there is no way I can convince you not to fight me?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow. I didn't know what she was capable off and I would rather not find out the hard way. If I could talk this out instead it would be much better of a situation. But if it was to get to a fight, I wouldn't back down.

"Captain Dawnseeker was sure that you would try and escape so she ordered me to track you down if you had. There was a change of plans. She notified me that the Dragon Slayers are no longer needed. I am under explicit orders to eliminate you." Her eyes shined with focus.

"I'm guessing that's a 'no' then." I narrowed my eyes at her, slowly taking a defensive stance.

"If you are even close in power with your counterpart Anora Dawnseeker then this shall be a glorious battle!" Her eyes showed signs of sadness for a moment before they were filled with pure focus and determination again."I am only sorry that this will be your end."

I arched an eyebrow at her. "Oh let's not count our victories before they've happened. Just one question before we start. You obviously have basic knowledge of myself. It's only fair you tell me who you are." I grinned at her.

"I am Luna, The royal army's First Warfare Unit's second in command."

"Anora Ontryx, if you were wondering. Fairy Tail's S-class wizard."

"Well then, Anora of Fairy Tail." The exceed's grin widened as she prepared herself. "Let's dance!"

Before I even knew what was happening she was already in front of me trying to slash my face of.

I side stepped in the last second. The world slowed down as she passed me. My eyes widened as I saw the end of my french braid fall to the ground, followed by an orange afterglow from the strike. Unfortunately, she cut off the strap that was holding my braid and my hair fell loose on my back as I jumped to the side to make some distance between us.

' _Damn. She is fast.'_

"Too slow!" She yelled and disappeared from sight in a silver glow. Before I could realized that she had actually _blinked,_ I found myself flying forward thanks to a generous kick to the back from Luna.

The shocking part was that I felt the power coming from her. She didn't blink through the use of her sword. That power came from herself. I got up and turned around to look at her, amazed.

"Ha! I always love to see people's reactions when I do that." She bounced in one place with an amused glint in her eyes, twirling the sword in her paw. "You're probably wondering how the heck I did that? Well, it's a magic power that only I poses! Could do it since I was little." She said with a smug grin. Obviously very proud of the reaction she got from me. "It's really cool, huh? I bet you've never seen something like that in your life!"

"Heh." I laughed a bit.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing… It's just that…" I blinked right in front of her, startling her. Her eyes widened so fast it was almost comical. "I always love to see people's reactions when I do this as well." My grin spread to my ears. Before the exceed could react, I summon a ghostly purple blade in my hand and I slashed her adorable-looking cow lick. I felt kinda guilty about that. It looked good on her. After that, I kicked her to the side and she was sent flying but she used her angelic wings and flew up instead of colliding with the ground.

"What? How the?" Before, I could answer her question she suddenly looked at me with intense anger. I almost recoiled at that. "Also, what was that for! Do you have any idea how long it took me to give that cow lick to my permanent look and you just slashed it off! That's just playing mean! What's the matter with you?!" Yeah, we are totally not fighting to the death right now. Let's talk about how mean we are to each other.

I flung my _loose_ hair behind my right shoulder with my hand in a mock gesture. "No one touches my hair and gets away with it. So now we are even." I crossed my hands on my chest and gave her a teasing smirk.

"But that's not the same! My look was a lot cuter than yours!"

I gasped, feigning hurt. I grabbed my hair in my two hands and started stroking in and cooing. "Don't listen to the mean exceed. She is just jealous of your superior looks."

"Am not!" She yelled from the other side of the roof.

"Are too!"

"AM NOT!"

"Are too!"

"That's it!" Suddenly Luna vanished. Silver hue evaporating in her place the only indication that she had blinked.

There is one thing that Luna probably doesn't know, though. The art of blinking is simply dissolving your body, leaving only your ethernanos and directing them to a position. But since these ethernanos are still considered under the control of the user of the spell, meaning that I won't be able to control them and that in term would allow me to sense their position.

I grinned a toothy grin as I felt my control slip from the ethernanos behind me. In an instant, Luna appeared out of nowhere behind my back and tried to slash at me but I was expecting her. I used her own tactic against her and blinked to the right side of her arm. Just as she lost balance from the overpowered slash that hit the air, I grabbed her arm and flung her over my shoulder in the air.

She was about to open her wings again and break her fall just like last time but I was expecting that as well. Just after I threw her in the air, I swiped my right hand from the ground towards her and a single purplish chain flew out of the ground, caught her and slammed her to the ground.

She grabbed her head with a paw as she stood back up. She looked at me. "Damn, I did not expect that." She said, a bit annoyed but there was a sense of awe in her words. She shook her head once and was ready to fight again by the looks of it. "I guess I just have to try harder." She grinned. She threw her sword towards me, pointy end coming right at my head all the while glowing deadly orange. I quickly sidestepped but before I knew it, Luna had blinked right next to me. So she was using the throw for a distraction. It was still a dumb idea to throw you weapon away.

So you can understand my shock when I saw the exceed catch her sword by the hilt as it passed by her. And it was in a position for a quick swipe, which she did. I quickly ducked but that was obviously expected from her because she kicked me the moment I did that. I flew a ways back and landed on my back. When I opened my eyes, just about to get, instead of seeing the bright blue sky I saw a and exceed with wings in all it's glory coming at me from above with a sword glowing orange.

Without thinking, I just rolled out of the way and quickly got into a crouch position. Not a second later Luna's sword slammed into the ground with it's owner, creating spiderweb-like cracks on the surface of the rooftop. She quickly pulled her sword out and stared at me.

"Damn, kitty has claws." I deadpanned as I looked at the damage from her attack. If I had hesitated even for a second that crack could have been a whole 'nother thing.

Luna on her part smirked. "Well, I assumed we were over with playtime. As much as I don't like it, my orders _are_ to eliminate you." She held her sword up, pointing at me.

"Oh come on, I can see that you are not evil, why the heck are you in league with these awful people?" I saw her hesitate for a second. She was about to say something when I interrupted her. "Please don't give me that 'you don't understand' cliché crap."

Luna's eyes narrowed. "I don't have to explain myself to you. My reasons are my own." Her sword started glowing again. Swiftly, she slashed at the air three times, emitting orange waves of energy towards me. As I prepared for a confrontation, the exceed disappeared again and I felt her ethernanos starting to shift again.

' _How can she blink so many times in such a short span?'_ I thought urgently. I was being attacked on two fronts. The orange slash marks were coming towards me from the front and I could already feel Luna materializing behind me.

I quickly spread my arms to the side, raising a small ethereal shield before me. Without any hesitation, I willed for an ethereal sword to appear in my right hand, already used to the taxing feeling and I turned around to block Luna's oncoming strike from above. As I parried the sword in my arm shattered and I could also see the small particles in the air from the shattered shield behind me.

The exceed continued to slash at my general vicinity while I was just dodging and going back step by step. In her frenzied slashes Luna was in a position where her balance was compromised and just as she was about to try to have another go with me, I swiped my hand inwards towards my chest and a small purplish chain erupted from the ground behind Luna and enticed the exceed's feet. She yelped and fell forwards in my direction. I just jumped backward and let her fall to the ground.

' _The way this fight was going I would be able to finish it soon. I didn't have enough magical power to knock her out with a single empowered punch but with all the arcania released in the battle I could try and attempt to use something else rather than conjuration.'_ I thought as I watched the exceed get up. _'Or maybe I could just try and see if I can or can't knock her out instead of guessing.'_ Erza did help me get in my thick brain to first evaluate my enemy before trying to defeat them if my opponent was of greater power and I think I gathered enough info in this time to finish this battle quickly. If only I had my full power I wouldn't have to fool around like this. Tsh.

My thought process was interrupted as I heard a growl. When I looked at her, Luna did something that I didn't expect. She threw her sword with immense strength at the rooftop. The sword embedded itself firmly into the concrete right next to the exceeds leg. Before I knew what was happening Luna was down on her fours, her whole body glowing orange. She looked like a cougar, ready to pounce on her enemy, which was actually exactly what she did.

She started running at me and when she was close enough she jumped at me, front paws wide open as if she was about to hug me. I think that was the last thing on her mind now. I saw the orange aura around her paws shift and it turned into sharp pointed claws which extended in an impressive length. She swiped at me with her magical claws while I jumped backward again, away from her reach. What I did not expect was that three orange claw marks left behind from her slash to shoot themselves towards me and hit me in the abdomen, successfully ripping through my current dress and wounding me.

First blood was drawn.

I staggered back while Luna continued her assault. I gave her the evil eye. Now I was angry. She tried to pounce on me again right as I was about to counter it, she vanished in a silver glow. Following her ethernano signature, I predicted she would appear to my right and right as she did, claws outstretched and all that, I round house kicked her in the side, putting a lot of my magic power into my leg.

" **Arcane Dragon's Talon"** I yelled as my foot flew toward the exceeds side. An ethereal glow around it formed, taking the shape of a dragon's foot. As my foot connected with her side, I saw her grimace as she started flying to the side. Before she could fall to the ground I blinked in front of her path of fall and used my knee to send her to the air above me.

' _Damn, too much power usage but… here goes nothing.'_

I sucked in air as I lifted my head towards the now falling exceed. **"Arcane Dragon's ROAR!"**

I grimaced as I felt the exhaustion taking over seconds after the purplish-blue-white particles flew out of my mouth and towards Luna. Thankfully I was full on the adrenaline from the battle and the feeling of extasy as I saw the exceed not making a move to get up from the ground where she had fallen after being embraced by my magical roar.

I walked slowly towards her, intaking all the leftover arcania in the area to return what little of my powers I had. I peered over her. She was lying on her back unmoving but she was conscious.

"Damn and here I thought I had a chance at beating you." She grimaced from pain. "Pantherlily always did say that I was a bit careless. 'Never stopped to evaluate an enemy properly'." She said, making an impression of Pantherlily's voice. "I guess that I should've heeded his words. I thought that your lack of offense was because I had the advantage over you in terms of power and I grew overconfident. Guess now I'm paying for that mistake." She huffed and closed her eyes.

I watched her curiously. Was she expecting me to kill her or something? Damn that's dark but I guess that that's the truth. She is in the military after all. Defeat on the field almost always meant death. Such things were looked over in the anime, only implied. But here nothing is censored. This is reality and death was a part of it. So it was not uncommon for people to expect it.

I just sighed as I watched her with her forcefully closed eyes.

"I'm not going to do something like that. Come on, get up." At my words, Luna just opened her right eye to look around, rather comically if I say so myself. When she opened her other one she looked at me with shock and bewilderment. I just extended my right hand to her. Hesitantly she took it and I pulled her up to her feet.

"But… we are enemies." She asked more than stated.

"Where I come from, we don't kill our enemies. It's just not our way. We like to give people a second chance. And if they decide to waste it we just show them not to mess with us anymore." I gave her a toothy grin. She just eyed me strangely. "Besides, I like you. It was a fun battle even if I wasn't at my full strength and you are no pushover yourself."

Before I could say anything else, the earth shook and an eerie red glow surrounded the area. It felt as if the whole place was swimming with magic. And it was true. For the first time since I was in Edolas, I could actually feel an abundance of magic in the area. That one feeling of loneliness was gone as well. What the heck was going on? Where is all this magic coming from?

Apparently, I had voiced my thought's because the exceed next to me answered. "I don't know."

Suddenly a huge chain-like thing with what looked like a dragon's head at the top shot up towards a big chunk of rock in the sky from the castle. Looking closer I saw that it was aiming for the floating islands with Magnolia turned lacrima in it. I panicked internally. This couldn't be good. My biggest concern was why I couldn't see more of our guild up there. Was Gajeel stopped from freeing them somehow? Now that I look at the island, it does look like it's missing a few pieces.

Luna and I just watched as the chain connected with the bottom of the floating island, snaking deeper into it. The whole island started glowing in a red hue and it… started flying towards Extalia.

Luna gasped at the seems.

"They are going to destroy Extalia." I said almost in a whisper. Now that I saw what I did I remembered what happened. The kingdom was trying to destroy Extalia because they believed that in doing so they would bring magic back to the world. It had something to do with the lacrima but I don't quite remember the details.

It was safe to assume that the exceed next to me was in total panic mode. Obviously, she wasn't in on the plan. She was trembling like a leaf, a look of disbelief in her eyes. "No…" Yep, total shock.

I snapped my fingers in front of her face. A look of recognition sparked in her eyes as they met mine. "Can you take me up there?" I asked her.

"What? Why?" She looked at me confused.

"We have to try and stop it! I won't let the kingdom commit genocide just because some idiots hold magic in such a high esteem that they would shun innocent lives just to obtain it." I said, the fires of determination swirling within me. I don't remember how exactly but in the anime Extalia was able to survive. I would have remembered a mass genocide if it had happened.

"The exceeds are not exactly the face of innocence, though." Luna hung her head low in shame, I would assume. I really didn't need that right now so I grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look right into my eyes. Thanks to what was happening, whatever it was, I was back in full strength. It was like I was back in Earthland. The amount of arcania radiating from the lacrima was intoxicating even. I was beyond powered up. I was pretty sure we could do _something_ at least _._

"Now look at me! I don't care even if your race are the ultimate dicks in the world. Genocide is not a thing that I will watch just happen before my very eyes and not doing anything. Now spread those goddamn angel wings from your back and fly me up there instead of standing here looking on in disbelief. It's obvious your allegiance lies with Extalia but you are serving the human military because of some kind of honor bound oath you made to yourself or some shit like that. NOW FLY ME UP THERE GODDAMN IT!" I watched as realization struck the exceed. It would appear that she finally made up her mind for an internal struggle that was going for some time now. That look of determination and focus from our battle returned to her face. She merely nodded and a pair of angle wings spread from behind her back.

Standing right next to me, I noticed that she was a bit taller than me. She grabbed me by the waist and started flying right towards the floating lacrima island that looked like a meteor right about now. And amidst all the chaos I couldn't help but break out a small smirk at my belief that I had just made a new friend.

 **A/N: Yay! We finally get to meet the new kitty-cat. Luna was actually a part of the delay. Since she is a new OC, I had to try and make her at the very least a bit interesting. So I had to make a backstory, looks, mindset and all that jazz. The problem was that I made 4 exceed stories before I stopped myself at this one. Some of you gave me descriptions of their own exceed ideas and I tried to inplement some of them in Luna. Sorry if she isn't exactly what some of you wanted but I'm sticking with her. Of course, this is just a sneak-peak of what or who Luna actually is. Further development will be down the line but for now, what do you guys think? I would like to hear your opinion on her.**

 **With all that being said and done, I will see you guys in the next chapter. Toodles!**


	32. FYI

...

Hello everyone!

I am, in fact, not dead. *le gasp*

Before we continue, first and foremost - sorry... It has been around a year since I have updated this fic and I'm sad to say that it's gonna stay that way for a long time for now. (explanation inc, tl;dr at the bottom for whoever wants the short version)

This year has been quite hectic for me and I can't seem to find any semblance of peace. Quite frankly I underestimated how time-consuming my last year in school is gonna be and I'm not talking about my studies. This summer I had to deal with me studying and ultimately taking my driving license which took about 2 to 3 hours a day for me. I signed up to go to fitness because I just can't stand being a couch potato anymore, which takes about 2-3 more hours. The constant barrage of tests in school is quite frankly preposterous and on top of that for the past month, I've been dealing with university documents. Couple that with the fact that for the past month I've had to deal with the stress of relying on other people (something that I detest) and I'm just about this close to pulling out my hairs.

I've been running on 4-5-6 hours of sleep for the past 2 months and I simply have no time for writing... For those of you who asked, I've told you that I'm actually reworking the story because quite honestly it ain't up to snuff. I went back to some of the first chapters and almost fell off my chair from the cringe. Like seriously... I've gained a lot of understanding of how things work and I think I can do a lot better now. (I read like all the SI fics I liked in like 20+ fandoms this summer : ...) And so I'm gonna be posting the whole thing finished this one. I'm not actually gonna be posting a new story. The rework is gonna consist of this story + added material to the chapters + new chapters in between existing ones and the overall plot is actually gonna be changed since when I started it I was just winging it and now I actually have a planned outline.

But with that being said, the work is going excruciatingly slow. I picked myself up from my burn out from the last chapters but now my new obstacle is time. And with the fact that I currently have like 2-3 hours true free time max it's really hard to pick writing over some of the hobbies that I love doing more in the time I want to relax or at times just sleep. That and from all this time I've kinda moved on from Fairy Tail. The novelty of it all kinda broke down, especially with the manga ending where they literally won with the power of friendship... LIKE WHAT!? Everyone literally went one after another to fight 1v1s instead of swamping the obviously overpowered ppl. Secret arts, Unison raids, Combination attacks and Teamwork were literally thrown out the window in favor of screaming NAKAMA and the name of one spell that rekt the opponent - LIKE WHAT!?

So... is this fic dead? No! Will it ever be! Quite possibly no - I'm stubborn and an idealist at heart. Will it take a lot of time for the next chapter? Yes... The problem with the situation I'm currently in is that even if the things that are slowing me down pass, for now, I will have some reprieve for a few months at best. I'm trying to enter a university abroad and that puts a lot of stress on me. Especially with the fact that I will have a time period to find a job if do end up leaving country otherwise things won't look rosy for me. So my top priorities, for now, are trying to be successful, enter uni, find a job and after all that happens and I've steadied my position and have stepped on my feet then that is most likely when the first updates are gonna start coming out.

And with that, I'm making this long Hiatus official. I don't know when it's gonna end and I don't want to promise anything because we all know how that went last time... Perhaps a year maybe two, maybe more but the fic will be back. And I guess by that time everyone would have forgotten most of it only to be met with the rework which will be like a slightly different story altogether so I hope that works as a recompense. And even if some of you start believing it dead at some point - just remember that I have a degree in necromancy. If things go well I already even have a premise for a sequel that's gonna be interesting, to say the least, if it comes to that... Worst case scenario - I post a summary of the plot after the writing up until now in say 10 000words+. But that's gonna be the LASTESTESTEST...*1 eternity latur*EST... option.

Again - I'm sorry but that's that.

 **tl;dr:** Lot's of stuff happened; I'm a bit overwhelmed atm; rework in progress; lost a bit of motivation towards the franchise - won't stop me dou; definitely not dead fic - just sleeping; degree in necromancy; extended hiatus (1-2-3years [might be more might be less - take it at face value]; Sorry...

 **And since I'm here:**

 **Answer to** toolazy2logins **review:**

1st) Oh, believe me, I saw that... My god did I saw that. Couldn't stop cringing for like 5 min. Already fixed it. The first chapter as it is was scrapped and totally reworked. Also - no worries about the swearing, builds the character I say!

2nd) Thanks for all those suggestions. They are really gonna help in the rework. To comment on some of that - Bear in mind that arcane actually is an element in Fairy Tail. I mean magic in the world there is more of a science than actual magic. You have the ethernano, the energy source and you have the conduits (humans) that convert the energy and turn it into something else. So I think that it kinda suits the theme and I myself can't see Anora with anything but Arcane as her thing. On the overpowered scale, I don't think it's THAT strong. I do agree that in terms of flexibility it's really strong magic but other than that Masters at it are able to emulate other elements but not on the scale that THE elemental mages themselves can master. Its basic thing is conjuration and the likes. It's literally kinda like Conjuration in Skyrim but with more flair to the mix.

Is she a Mary Sue? Huh... I'll have to look into that and tone it down a bit then. I guess that in the old version she is a bit stale and one dimensional but other than that she heavily takes on some of my personality(actually most of it...). I'm actually not sure about what I want to do with the mentioned angst. xD I mean on one hand it has potential. On the other hand, the sheer amount of cliches there are staggering. I won't be commenting on the likeliness for the dragon meet up, just gonna say that there are things that should not be taken at face value here... Same for her personality...(On the latter I do agree that I haven't hinted heavily that something is different in that regard so it's easily confused between bad writing and intentional writing). Also, Inoreth doesn't have stronger magic than the other dragons just like Anora. If Inoreth was to say emulate fire vs Igneel, he wouldn't win. But he does have the added flexibility and some other things that Anora still doesn't... *wink*.

On the colorful part - eh, I just kinda view it as a sort of purple transparent version of Gray's magic idk.

I did actually notice the acting like a child thing though and you are right. I think that I got too much into writing a childhood chapter that I just didn't think about it too much at the time. Fixed that in the rework.

Also, I don't take any offense in criticizing comments. If I suck at writing I need to be told. I am trying to please the masses after all and that doesn't happen by not taking advice. I really appreciate your comment and the time you took to write the review. ^^

Welp that being that,

I hope you guys have a fantabulous day!


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